Paratransit Agencies Find Scale & Efficiency in New Assisted Rideshare Service Model

The world of public transportation is undergoing a longevity transformation. As America’s aging population looks to age in place, localized paratransit programs are becoming a hot topic. Paratransit programs are designed to serve individuals with disabilities, older adults, and folks requiring additional support to carry out daily acts of living via ADA transportation services. These services are a cornerstone of accessibility and independence, yet if you talk to riders, it’s clear that traditional models often lack the responsiveness, dignity, and quality that users see tangentially in traditional transit services.

Enter Companion Rides, an FTA and ADA Compliant assisted rideshare service revolutionizing the way paratransit agencies deliver fast and efficient service. The Companion Ride model, can bring the flexibility, efficiency, and immediacy of a demand response program, to paratransit riders at scale, without the capital intensive investment. Like traditional rideshare, Onward hires drivers who use their own vehicles, reducing costs on agencies while quickly introducing resources. 

A new arrow in the ADA service quiver for riders and agencies alike, the model closes equity gaps by offering nearly on-demand service while simultaneously saving money for the agencies without compromising service delivery. The service currently compliments traditional paratransit offerings both at the county and municipality level, depending on the region. 

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Understanding Paratransit: A Critical Lifeline

Paratransit is federally mandated under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ensuring that individuals with physical or cognitive impairments receive transportation options equivalent to those available to the general public. 

While these services provide a critical lifeline for millions, they often come with a host of frustrations: limited availability, rigid scheduling, long wait times, shared rides that extend travel duration, and a lack of personalized care. The programs are typically managed by public transit authorities and operated on a reservation basis, requiring 1 to 7 days' advanced notice - an immediate equity issue. 

This is the exact intersection where Onward’s assisted rideshare model is picking up.

Why is the goal: “On-Demand” Paratransit?

Answering a question with a question seems appropriate here: Why should someone that needs extra assistance be required to plan their life movements a day in advance, while able bodied folks can order transportation in a matter of minutes? 

We’re building a more level playing field. It’s all about equity. 

On-demand paratransit combines the best of multiple business models to thread a needle that society has been asking for for years. Paratransit riders require personalization at scale and the agencies operating paratransit programs require efficiency and lower cost operating services to complement existing programs. It’s complex, but a win-win for everyone involved. 

Where Traditional Paratransit Falls Short

To appreciate the value of on-demand solutions, it's essential to understand the shortcomings of legacy paratransit systems.

1. Inflexible Scheduling

Booking a ride two days in advance can be unrealistic for older adults needing urgent doctor visits, same-day discharges, running last-minute errands, or participating in social activities. While the service can work for many scenarios, last minute isn’t one of them. 

2. Long Wait Times

With multiple passengers to drop off, trips that would take 15 minutes point to point can take over an hour.  Further, riders frequently experience 30- to 90-minute delays, or "window scheduling" that doesn't align with their medical appointments or personal obligations. 

3. Caregiver Communication Gaps

Without real-time tracking or consistent driver updates, caregivers and family members are left in the dark, creating anxiety around a loved one's safety.

4. Inefficient Rider to Driver Ratios

Traditional Paratransit buses often provide many seats and a driver, for a bus with one or two riders. These buses are capital intensive, difficult to acquire, and the routes are often one-offs, meaning the service efficiency is low. 

5. One-Size-Fits-All Approach

Shared rides and fixed routes can expose immunocompromised individuals to unnecessary risks or cause undue stress due to long, circuitous journeys.

You might think that supporting traditional transit programs such as bus, metro, rideshare paratransit vans and bikes, covers all of the bases, and while these great services that work well for many, transportation isn’t a one size fits all game and finding programs that close equity gaps is the name of the game. 

If you’re looking for cost effective ways to support riders who require special accommodations with same-day rideshare service… You’re in the right place. 

The Rise of On-Demand Transportation Models in Healthcare and PACE

Paratransit agencies aren’t the only industry in flux either. On-demand accessible transportation, driven by demographic, economic, and tech trends has been adopted by healthcare and PACE programs too.

• Aging Population: The U.S. Census Bureau projects that by 2030, more than 20% of the population will be 65 or older.

• Healthcare Complexity: Seniors and individuals with disabilities are managing multiple providers, therapies, and appointments.

• Tech Proliferation: Mobile apps and cloud-based dispatch systems allow real-time coordination across complex networks.

• Policy Pressures: Health plans and Medicaid programs are under pressure to reduce missed appointments and improve access to care.

For providers, missed medical appointments are not just a patient care issue—they represent preventable readmissions that drive billions in lost revenue annually. For patients, they can mean limited access to care, missed appointments, delayed diagnoses, worsened outcomes, or unnecessary hospital admissions. 

The results are clear, on-demand paratransit provides a bridge to timely, dependable, and dignified care.

Who Benefits from On-Demand Paratransit?

1. Older Adults

Many older adults lose driving privileges, live alone, or require frequent medical services. On-demand paratransit enables them to maintain independence and engage in their communities.

2. Individuals with mild mobility or cognitive impairments

Whether physical, cognitive, or sensory impairments are involved, individuals gain reliable, dignified transportation suited to their personal needs.

3. Family Caregivers

Caregivers gain peace of mind knowing their loved one is in capable, compassionate hands, without rearranging work schedules or taking time off.

4. Paratransit Organizations and Healthcare Providers

Agencies have a dynamic tool to support riders off route and off hours that doesn’t break the bank, Doctors, clinics, and hospitals reduce no-show rates and improve patient compliance with care plans.

Food For Thought

Consider an older adult who needs weekly dialysis. Traditional curb-to-curb rideshare services leave a cold, oftentimes tired and physically exhausted rider at the curb. Under the Door-through-Door Companion Ride model, that same rider would be assisted out of the car, supported around the curb, up the stairs and through the door of their home.

Or picture a grandparent who can navigate on their own with a walker, but needs help safely getting in and out of the car. They no longer feel safe riding the bus and can’t take their walker in the car with them because they need help breaking it down. The Assisted Rideshare model takes these very real, seemingly fringe instances and trains drivers to provide the support riders need. 

These aren't just convenience upgrades—they're life-changing interventions.

The Future Is Accessible Paratransit is On-Demand — and It's Already Here

On-demand paratransit is part of the infrastructure needed to support aging in place, reduce institutionalization, and empower individuals with disabilities to lead full, connected lives.

Organizations that invest in flexible, tech-powered, and compassionate transportation solutions will find themselves not only compliant—but ahead of the curve.