New Dial-a-Ride Service Operations Approved

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New Dial-a-Ride Service Operations Approved
Valley Metro Board approves change that will save $3 million annually

Phoenix, AZ (January 20, 2012)  Developing a new method to provide travel to seniors and persons with disabilities will create an annual savings of more than $3 million for East Valley Dial-a-Ride’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) paratransit service. The new service delivery model will incorporate more efficiency utilizing resources from the private sector, while allowing the custom, door-to-door service that these passengers need in their daily travels. The $3 million in savings will occur with the private contractor, fuel, and facility costs.

The Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority Board of Directors unanimously approved a contract award to Total Transit, a transportation provider located in Glendale, Arizona. Total Transit also provides fixed route bus service for RPTA in the west Valley since 2007 and has been providing the Dial-a-Ride service in Sun City, El Mirage, and in the unincorporated areas of Maricopa County utilizing their Discount Cab service since 2010.

“As we shift away from a one-size-fits-all approach, we are able to meet the needs of the disabled community using more suitable vehicles and a direct routing approach versus shared-ride travel,” said Jim Wright, Valley Metro Director of Operations. “Drivers will be trained extensively for the safety sensitive position and are upheld to the same federal standards as any other public transportation operator.”

East Valley Dial-a-Ride allows ADA-eligible passengers to travel between Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale and Tempe without having to transfer when crossing city and town borders. Traditional operations of the service has occurred out of the RPTA bus operations facility in northeast Mesa by a private contractor that also provides fixed route bus service.
With fewer revenues being collected by the regional, half-cent sales tax that funds the service, it became necessary to look at cost-savings measures that could be implemented as early as possible. With an ADA passenger fare of $3.50 per trip, the actual cost to operate a trip on Dial-a-Ride is $36.79.

The new service provider begins on July 1, 2012.