During the April 20th City of Tallahassee Commission meeting, the Commission unanimously approved StarMetro’s new pilot program, “Dial-A-Ride (DAR) on Demand.”
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the city’s current DAR program offers curb-to-curb transportation to citizens who cannot take advantage of fixed-route buses. The program requires citizens to schedule a transportation service by at least 5:00 p.m. the day before the trip. Depending on various trip specifications, the service will then be scheduled as either a group pickup or an individual ride.
As it stands now, the current service is not effective for same-day transportation requests and offers limited scheduling options. However, the pilot program will improve choices for the citizens by allowing the use of Transportation Network Companies (TNC), also called ridesharing companies. In addition, it is designed to offer other benefits such as shorter wait times and may close service gaps currently experienced by increasing requests.
The Process
Using a mobile application or through StarMetro’s call center, a citizen can book a ride through a participating rideshare, such as Big Bend Transit. The customer will pay the regular DAR fare of $2.50, and the city will pay the remaining amount up to the negotiated contractor rate. After that, the customer would be required to pay any remaining fees.
The current negotiated rate for ambulatory services is $18.58, and for wheelchair transportation, the cost is $33.40. Rates for additional TNC providers participating in the pilot program will be determined during contract negotiations.
StarMetro currently receives annual funding from “various agencies” such as Leon County and the Florida Department of Transportation for approximately $2,444,613. According to the report by city staff, StarMetro’s funding covers the paratransit program, and the pilot program is expected to be “cost-neutral.” StarMetro will also work to apply for available grants to help fund the pilot program.
The city will leverage existing contracts that other transit agencies have already competitively bid upon implementation. The pilot program will be evaluated at six-month intervals for the two years of the program. Once completed, work will begin to adopt it formally if the program is successful.
StarMetro Approved for Dial-A-Ride On Demand Pilot Program, Use of Ridesharing Companies added by Lynsey Kirk on
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L’ enema
I would probably find you more interesting had I studied psychology.
@ Lena… and my guess, based on your ill-educated adolescent comment, is that you haven’t hit puberty yet? Hang in there groomer… you’ll get to R rated movies soon enough. 😉
I only come here to laugh at the comments because there are no Republicans under 90 any more…
“Hey, you kids and LBGTers! Stay out of my yard!”
Tallahassee Reports,
Steve, please run for any seat in your District. You will win!
It seems the mayor, Diane Williams Cox, and Curtis Richardson are more concerned about bundled contributions where they been to these contributors and make decisions against the environment, smart growth, better roads, etc., and pumping $27 million into the “let them eat cake” Skybox crowd.
Meanwhile back on Earth children are starving, and I mean that literally, there is no baby food formula, I pay 30 more dollars for a gallon of gas, groceries are Sky High, the stock market is crashing, our 401ks are suffering, yet they concentrate on men having babies, men having abortions, CRT only because they are profiting from it, fraud in the elections, and BLM.
They are fiscally irresponsible to paint a BLM sign on our streets using City resources for a sham organization that none of them had the wherewithal to investigate that it is a bogus sham. Vote these nut jobs out asap! So that competent people can come and put the money where it is supposed to be and serve us and not their Skybox, liberal Nut Job voters. Leon County has to have the most stupid voters in America, however there is one Shining star in the sky that we have the BEST governor in America!
Mayor FAILEY pretends to be a Republican in front of Republicans, but he fools no one. And to the Chairman of the Leon County Republican Party get off your you know what and get in the game.
And that doesn’t mean having drinks at the Governor’s Club with Democrats who pretend to be Republicans or NPAs. You don’t have one Republican in office and you haven’t had for years so get to work!
Dr Oz WON!! They keep trying to find votes call the election, Pennsylvania!
The pilot program is expected to be “cost-neutral.”
StarMetro will also work to apply for available grants to help fund the pilot program.
If it’s cost neutral, why do they need grants to fund it?
@ Ken… we’ve been around this mountain many times, the latest being back during the ’08 real estate crash. The property taxes flowing into the local coffers has been increasing as the result of the artificial/manufactured increase in property values due to panic buying, investment flippers, and over development. So the local leaders expand programs and salaries based on that unsustainable increase. Then, when the inevitable crash happens resulting in a decease in the flow of tax dollars, the politicians will begin to threaten that they must cut services or increase taxes. They will target and announce cuts to services that serve children, the elderly, and law enforcement… in an effort to foster a feeling of guilt in those who oppose their tax increase and mismanagement.
… and around the mountain we go… again
How can the elected body, be ok with so many reorgs and such huge salary increases for so many upper and middle management AT ONE TIME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BUDGET YEAR. Where is the money coming from, did he budget for this already, ofcourse not. That would be telling. Nobody cares anyways, they are led by the man blindly or they are hand-in-glove, it is ALL ABOUT MONEY. At least they are bringing capitalism to government.
The home of spin. That’s all. Gosh the head is a fabulous spin doctor.
This “service” will be lucrative to one or perhaps more of the as yet un named Transportation Network Companies (TNC).
The (TNC)’s will contribute to many elected officials in one way or another.
Business as usual in a Democrat run government.
The only possability of our elected nannies being outed on the pay to play is if the Florida DOT (one of the “various funding agencies”) runs a routine audit and accidently stumbles upon some irregularities.
The only other scenario there could possably be is that no elected nannies locally are corrupt enough to consider recieving pay for play from a TNC.
Yeah Right!
Gee, what can go wrong with THIS Program? Even if it IS a bust, the City will keep it going to keep from have to say they were wrong.
“The customer will pay the regular DAR fare of $2.50, and the city will pay the remaining amount up to the negotiated contractor rate. After that, the customer would be required to pay any remaining fees.”
How can they charge more than the negotiated contractor rate? What kind of deal is that? The customer should not have to pay anything more than the $2.50 fare. The whole purpose of the program is to help people who are struggling.