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Some of RideCo’s greatest customer success stories have come from collaborations with our valued channel partners. Transit agencies continually benefit from having multiple partners play to their strengths in delivering tailored on-demand transit services that each agency with diverse needs requires.
One of the key benefits of multi-vendor partnerships is the ability to offer a streamlined (and when required, accelerated) implementation process. Agencies can leverage each respective partner’s expertise, processes, and resources to rapidly operationalize their offerings, meaning the agency begins seeing an ROI as soon as possible.
Our industry-first, 4.5-month implementation of SEPTA Access is a great example of this process working to execute seamless and timely service delivery. This project represents the largest implementation of an on-demand transit system running on a cloud-based platform within the United States, all accomplished in record time. To give a sense of the scale of this implementation, it includes:
This was accomplished despite the challenges inherent in coordinating with three separate carriers. The RideCo Customer Success team worked diligently to make sure all carrier staff and drivers from Easton Coach Company, Krapf Transportation, and Total Transportation Corporation were ready to go on day one of their respective launch date. This was the product of a comprehensive training program that included on-site, pre-launch training sessions, in addition to access to RideCo’s online learning portal, RideCo University. Of course, considerable credit should go to the professionalism of each carrier. Like the RideCo team, they recognized the importance of this project and worked in close collaboration with us to make sure their staff and drivers were well equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively leverage the efficiency of our paratransit software.
[RideCo has] given us the information we need, given us a hands-on approach of how to go into their system and utilize the tablet. It’s been great. … [We’ll keep] learning the system, making sure that we as a management team understand all the access that we have available with this new technology, and making sure our drivers understand that … [it’s] a part of the team that’s going to allow us to be a transportation company that meets the needs of our customer base. — Roger Bowman, Operations Manager at Easton Coach Company
Further, channel partnerships consistently allow us to deliver more efficient service, resulting in an enhanced passenger experience. The following case studies serve as excellent examples:
Located in northern Virginia, Loudoun County Transit (LCT) was providing paratransit service that picked up and dropped off passengers around the existing local fixed route. However, the agency was using a legacy system that only accepted call-in and subscription bookings, and scheduling trips had to be done manually, processes that were both inefficient and time consuming. When Keolis was engaged as the fleet operator, they partnered with RideCo to provide LCT with cloud-based paratransit software.
The service’s success was due to a number of factors. For one, Keolis was already an established fleet operator with expertise in different mobility modes, including on-demand transit—one of the biggest reasons RideCo was wanting to partner with them for this project. Between Keolis’ operational expertise and our patented optimization engine, enhanced productivity was the natural outcome.
Alvin Hampton, General Manager at Keolis, had this to say about the partnership:
Scheduling and dispatching have become so easy and the burden on our operations team has significantly reduced through automating the process. RideCo’s software is seamless and the increase in productivity allows Keolis to provide LCT paratransit customers with more accessible on-demand, door-to-door service.
The result of this partnership?
Like many cities across the United States, the City of Moorpark in Southern California was seeing a shift in how their residents were using the Moorpark City Transit (MCT) services. Existing changes in demographics and fluctuating ridership trends were expedited with the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in underutilized fixed-route buses. With new innovations in service delivery, MCT wanted to explore an option that could provide more direct trips with shorter headway to recover and attract new ridership. To test an alternative solution, MCT partnered with RideCo and Transdev to implement a microtransit service.
This is a service that clearly highlights each company’s strengths. RideCo brings microtransit software that enables flexible booking options for passengers while delivering more direct and efficient trips. Meanwhile, Transdev brings safe and well-maintained ADA compliant vehicles operated by friendly drivers who provide great customer service. Together, we’re able to offer a convenient and personalized service that meets the expectations of passengers today.
The result of this partnership?
When ridership and service demand grow, partnerships with multiple vendors can often benefit agencies by offering the opportunity to efficiently scale service via access to greater resources. For example, larger operators may have access to extensive fleets of vehicles and/or drivers, which agencies are still having a hard time sourcing on their own. For example:
In 2019, San Antonio’s VIA Metropolitan Transit engaged RideCo to implement a microtransit service in Naco Pass, enabling greater access to transit hubs for residents living in the low-density suburban area. With RideCo as the prime contractor providing microtransit software and Yellow Cab as the initial subcontractor handling fleet operations prior to their acquisition by zTrip in 2021, the result was the successful delivery and expansion of the VIA Link service. Starting with just six minivans operating across 19 sq. mi. and serving approximately 194 average passengers per weekday in Naco Pass, the service expanded to include the Mainland and Sandy Oaks zones towards the end of 2021—replacing all underperforming fixed routes within these three zones.
During one of VIA Metropolitan Transit Board’s Joint Working Sessions in 2022, it was stated that:
VIA Link (Naco Pass and Mainland) operations are approximately 75% less expensive than equivalent 20-minute fixed-route service operating seven days a week.
That same year saw the continuation of the partnership when RideCo and zTrip were awarded the renewal and service expansion contract. As the largest taxicab company in North America with an extensive fleet of 3,200+ vehicles, 540+ employees, and 3,400+ contracted drivers, zTrip was instrumental in providing the operational resources needed for the expansion of the service. With the addition of the Randolph zone, VIA Link has scaled to now cover 73 sq. mi., using 40+ vehicles to serve 1,400+ average passengers per weekday.
Our ongoing partnership with RideCo leverages our distinct strengths to provide agencies with a turnkey on-demand transit solution. Through strategic collaboration with our agency partners, we are able to address their challenges in delivering service, allowing them to efficiently scale to meet their communities’ needs. — Bill George, Chief Executive Officer, zTrip
The results of this partnership?
In addition to serving agency clients, partnerships between fellow technology providers can yield industry-changing innovations. What’s more, these sorts of partnerships are often a natural fit—technology providers at the forefront of their respective industries are more open to innovation and can quickly adapt to the changing needs of their customers.
A great example is our collaboration with Kuba (formerly Unwire). Riders of MetroLink Tulsa (formerly Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority) and Dallas Area Rapid Transit benefit from GoPass, an app delivered through Kuba’s Mobility Platform, that allows them to plan, book, pay for, and track their multimodal journey across traditional fixed routes and microtransit. By integrating RideCo’s on-demand transit platform with MetroLink Tulsa’s existing mobile ticketing and trip planning solution, riders avoid the hassle of having to download multiple apps for their end-to-end journey. The benefit here for both agencies and riders is clear, the technology partnership between RideCo and Kuba resulted in a more integrated approach to mobility.
[MetroLink Tulsa]’s vision is to make transit easily accessible for all citizens. Greater flexibility and superior rider experience will encourage more people to use transit. Our partners, RideCo and Kuba, have helped make our vision a reality with the launch of the on-demand transit service. It is now completely integrated with all modes of transit, making end-to-end trip planning on a single app easy. — Scott Marr, General Manager, MetroLink Tulsa
These success stories wouldn’t have been possible without the distinct strengths each partner has brought to the table. That’s why at RideCo, we pride ourselves on our ability to bring together some of the best players in the business. Ask any of our customers, you’ll see that the results speak for themselves.
