Implementing E-Hail for the SF Paratransit Program TRB Demand Response Conference September 27, 2016 Breckenridge, Colorado
SF Paratransit Program SF Paratransit is a public transit service that provides door-to-door service for ADA eligible riders [CATEGORY NAME] [PERCENTAGE] Specialized Programs [PERCENTAGE] [CATEGORY NAME] [PERCENTAGE] [CATEGORY NAME] [PERCENTAGE] 780,000 Trips [CATEGORY NAME] [PERCENTAGE] [CATEGORY NAME] [PERCENTAGE]
SF Paratransit Taxi Program All taxi companies in San Francisco required to participate in the SF Paratransit program Each rider - monthly allotment is based on trip needs Eligible riders pay $5.50 for $30 worth of taxi value Only for trips within San Francisco No wait trips or round trips Debit Card allows for detailed trip monitoring
Current Taxi Service for SF Paratransit Riders Riders call a taxi company or street hail to get a taxi ride 91% overall customer satisfaction with paratransit taxi services Most common problems Having to wait longer than expected for taxi Availability of ramp taxis 60 percent of users own a cell phone; of which 37 percent are smartphones Smart phone ownership higher among wheelchair taxi users
Flywheel SF Paratransit Partnership Flywheel Mobile application that allows riders to electronic hail a nearby taxi and track location of their taxi Currently used by approximately 90 percent of all taxi drivers Discussions began with Flywheel in 2015 Integration of SF Paratransit taxi debit card Customizing settings to include filter for only ramp taxis Goal: Improve communication and service delivery for SF Paratransit taxi riders
How to Register Users must download the Flywheel app through their mobile application store Must have an email address Must add the SF Paratransit taxi debit card Optional to add personal credit card.
How to Hail a Taxi Using Flywheel Rider will be given a screen with all available taxis and ETA from the rider s location
How to Filter for Ramp Taxis Select this filter to display only ramp taxis While hailing a taxi, riders will be able to select and filter by vehicle type
App will prompt driver to request the Paratransit debit card for payment Driver will process payment using In- Taxi Equipment Paying the meter fare as opposed to fare from the Flywheel app Payment
Specific Program Rules No service fees for SF Paratransit riders or drivers/taxi companies General users pay a $1 service fee per trip Taxi drivers pay 13% of meter fare No no-show fee for SF Paratransit riders No electronic payment for taxi trips Likely to be implemented in the future
Why it Works for the SF Paratransit Program Taking advantage of an existing infrastructure Use of SF Paratransit taxi debit card Existing mobile application with high usage among taxi drivers Long term relationship with the taxi industry No cost to SF Paratransit to develop customized Flywheel app Allows non SF Paratransit riders (dialysis center staff, family members) to hail taxis on behalf of users, if the app is loaded on their smartphone
Benefits to Paratransit Customers Facilitates the hailing of taxis with no need to call Provides a central dispatch mechanism for accessible ramped taxis Allows customers to see that taxi has picked up their call and ETA Allows for customer tracking of trips
Benefits to General Public Wheelchair users Easily differentiate accessible taxis and see their location Using the app, can call for an accessible cab from multiple companies May be able to provide tracking mechanism to provide driver incentives for general public wheelchair trips in the future
Next Steps Pilot to begin Fall 2016 with a select number of SF Paratransit users Test usability among SF Paratransit riders Troubleshoot the Flywheel Paratransit application Discuss ways to market ramped taxis for general public users using Flywheel Outreach to ramped taxi drivers re greater potential market
Contact Information Annette Williams Manager, SFMTA Accessible Services annette.williams@sfmta.com 415.701.4444 Marc Soto General Manager, SF Paratransit/Transdev marc.soto@transdev.com 415.351.7010