Spare Partners With PSTA to Expand Innovative Same-Day Paratransit Services

CLEARWATER, Fla., June 21, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Spare, a leading on-demand transit platform company has partnered with Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) to expand its Mobility on Demand (MOD) same-day paratransit service. PSTA has been working with Spare since 2021 to power its ADA Paratransit service, PSTA Access.

MOD is a same-day on-demand service for Access-eligible riders that allows riders to book spur-of-the-moment trips, providing a new level of flexibility. To best serve its riders, PSTA has six service providers that can be dispatched for MOD and Access trips. Having multiple providers means that PSTA can deliver equitable service to everyone, including those who require wheelchair-accessible vehicles. The integration of Spare Open Fleets™ technology enables PSTA to manage and dispatch any of its service providers from a single platform.  

Before integrating with Spare's cloud-based software, PSTA reservationists had to connect trip information across multiple systems manually. This made it impossible for reservationists to have a unified view of the operation to ensure operations were running smoothly. 

With the adoption of Spare Open Fleets technology, PSTA has successfully integrated all non-dedicated service providers, including Lyft, Uber, UZURV, United Taxi, and wheelchair-accessible vehicles, into its system, managing dispatch from one seamless interface. 

PSTA's deployment of Spare Open Fleets to connect six separate fleets is an industry first. By incorporating these native integrations into Spare's mobility management platform, the Company can now provide transit agencies access to nearly 90% of all bookable vehicles in North America to boost their microtransit and paratransit services.  

"At PSTA, enhancing our services for our customers is always a top priority," says PSTA CEO Brad Miller. "We're proud to be innovating with Spare to better serve the same-day service needs of our paratransit riders, allowing them to live more spontaneously. Our collaboration with Spare is a crucial step towards offering modern, convenient, and efficient services that our riders deserve."

Riders can book same-day service directly from the PSTA Access app powered by Spare. From the app, riders can experience a modern ADA and same-day paratransit service, track their ride on the app, and have complete visibility over ETAs and routes.

Spare CEO Kristoffer Vik Hansen says, "We are excited to partner with PSTA to deliver innovative paratransit services that meet the evolving needs of riders. Same-day paratransit has proven vital for many riders, and we are proud to help PSTA provide it efficiently, conveniently, and reliably."

For PSTA, managing dispatch to six distinct fleets has become a seamless process. It can monitor, track, diagnose, and adapt in real time, ensuring riders arrive at their destinations on time.

"Our partnership with Spare has brought our paratransit service into the twenty-first century," says Bonnie Epstein, PSTA Director of Mobility Services. "They have delivered solutions that make managing our paratransit services much easier. We can now streamline our dispatch and provide better service to our riders."

PSTA's partnership with Spare is expected to have a significant impact on its paratransit service, making it easier and more convenient for riders to book rides and providing greater visibility and oversight for PSTA staff.

About Spare 

At Spare, our mission is to make every ride possible. We empower transit agencies to launch microtransit and modernize ADA paratransit services, optimizing operations and enhancing rider experiences. Spare Open Fleets integrates any bookable fleet into on-demand transit services for flexible capacity without capital-intensive vehicle investments. With hundreds of services powered worldwide, we are shaping the future of mobility — one ride at a time. For more information, visit www.sparelabs.com.

About PSTA

PSTA is the public transit provider in Pinellas County, Florida, providing more than 11 million rides annually. PSTA operates a fleet of more than 200 vehicles serving 40 routes with a range of services, including the area's only express bus service, direct beach connections, and numerous trolley services. For more information, visit www.psta.net.

Source: Spare