Every public transit operation is different, and every paratransit program has its own rules, processes, and complexities. Eligibility Management through RideCo’s cloud-based paratransit software delivers the customization required to match any agency’s individual needs, while supporting greater process standardization and reducing the lift needed to get riders approved for service and on vehicles faster than ever before. Indeed, we’ve heard from agencies that getting applications turned around in the 21-day decision period can be extremely difficult. Often, riders are left in limbo during this period and may not even know if they’ve been granted presumed eligibility.
To stay on track with this timeline and address many other challenges, our Eligibility Management platform offers assistance in processing applications using customized workflows and automation, accessible digital forms, decision letter and mailing label generation, suspension support, and updating the services available to riders immediately upon approval. Let’s dive into how each of these features can help agencies streamline their eligibility processes and remove the barriers to accessing paratransit service.
We recognize that each paratransit program operates differently, so our system allows for workflows to be built and configured to the given team’s requirements, ensuring that every step of a program’s processes is captured. To accomplish this, we work with the agency to perform a comprehensive discovery session to learn their workflows and help identify automation opportunities. Once the workflows have been set up, the entire process is then displayed on a single page, as opposed to having to switch between many submodules.
Offering workflow customization enables an easier transition to the updated system as the agency’s business rules are automatically applied. This goes a long way in making employees feel comfortable with the transition, as in many cases certain processes have been in place for years or even decades. Staff buy-in, a vitally important factor in any institutional change, will be much easier to achieve when the day-to-day experience remains familiar.
RideCo worked closely with our Eligibility Team to develop a customized workflow that matched our existing processes, including integrating with our rider ID and payment management system. The collaborative effort made the transition for our team seamless, and they continue to be highly responsive and adaptive as we review and improve our processes. Over time, we've been able to leverage more of their custom features to reduce our overall response time for ADA applicants.
— Melvin Young, Director, Program Eligibility and Regulatory Compliance, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
Applications can be complex, as processing them typically involves multiple phases with actions required along the way. Our platform simplifies this process for agencies. Progress can be easily tracked through a tab-based interface where each tab displays a list of applications by status, and applications automatically move from one tab to the next as they advance in the process. Intake dates are tracked (along with the days remaining to respond) so urgent applications can be prioritized.
Further, the ease of the application process is enhanced by presumed eligibility. That is, if the application is delayed and a given person’s eligibility expires, they will be granted presumed eligibility automatically until a decision is made about their application.
In addition, physicians or assessment centers can evaluate applications directly within the platform through being granted limited access to only specific sections within the portal. Applications and information can be easily filtered, meaning that each physician’s office or assessment center will only see the cases that they need to respond to. The evaluation process is further acelerated by a feature that automatically sends an email to the registered physician (if they take email requests).
Once the application process is done, the rider’s information will seamlessly sync to their unified RideCo profile for booking access.
Reducing time-consuming paperwork is important in nearly every workplace, and transit agencies are no exception to that. Introducing digital forms can significantly lessen an agency’s workload, allowing for information to be populated automatically rather than through a manual data entry process. Eligibility management through RideCo’s platform offers a wide range of digital forms, some of which include:
These forms can also be set up to trigger applicable workflows and processes. For example, a warning letter can be equipped with a link that a rider can follow to complete a renewal.
Alongside these forms, there are a variety of useful tools, including:
In all cases required fields can be enforced, which prevents incomplete forms from being sent in.
One of RideCo’s newest tools, AI Form Processing, can read hand-written text and automatically input required data. This highly accurate tool is supported in multiple languages, identifies missing information, formats data, and reduces staff workload overall. This technology is significantly more advanced than traditional optical character recognition (OCR) since it does not need to map to specific boxes and will not result in errors if pages are scanned in the wrong order or upside down.
Our platform’s letter generation capabilities are robust and exceptionally useful. They can be used to create custom templates that:
The letters can be set to generate within an agency’s custom workflow, ready to be placed into window envelopes and mailed, or sent directly to the applicant’s email address on file.
Alongside automation, letters can also be manually generated with the click of a button. This can be very handy in instances of workflow particularities. Any generated document is considered an editable document and can be updated as necessary.
To ensure that riders have equitable access to paratransit service when they need it, while reducing cannibalization of accessible fixed-route service, our platform is also able to accommodate conditional eligibility. Unlike legacy systems that rely on call center agents to confirm a rider’s eligibility at the time of booking, this process is automatic and much more efficient through our platform.
Search results in the booking application can be configured based on specific rider limitations or what a particular rider requires, which includes multimodal results. Factors can include:
Personal limitations such as:
Environmental limitations such as:
Time-based limitations such as:
And of course, agencies can limit searches so that only options with a comparable fixed route are provided. Additionally, assessment trips can be factored in while an individual is undergoing the assessment process, meaning they can be granted a ride to or from a specific assessment center. Conditions can also be combined when more than one applies to a given person.
When agencies are serving vulnerable members of the population, it’s crucial to ensure that riders feel comfortable and safe using the service. In some instances, a rider may need to be suspended from service, either for a set amount of time or until a certain action is taken. This can include situations where the rider has a contagious illness, hygiene issues, frequent no-shows, or has violated service rules. Dispatchers can log these specific issues via incident reporting, which is linked directly to a rider’s profile and subsequent suspension records.
Suspension management uses a lot of the same functionality leveraged by Eligibility Management. This includes:
Suspension appeals can also be tracked and documented on a per incident or per suspension basis. These appeals can be tied into customized workflows that update the rider’s profile and suspension status as needed.
Whatever the specific rules, processes, or complexities of a given program, Eligibility Management through RideCo’s paratransit software can streamline them, simplify them, and cut down on staff workload. Our innovative technology harnesses advances in automation and artificial intelligence to get riders in vehicles faster, removing barriers to service, and creating a more accessible transit environment. All of this can make a profound difference in the lives of both agency staff and the ridership they serve.
