Navigating the complexities of paratransit, where balancing rider needs, provider availability, and cost efficiency is a daily challenge, Boston’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) paratransit service, The RIDE, has found a game-changing solution through its partnership with tech innovator AlphaRoute. 

At the heart of AlphaRoute’s Non-Dedicated Service Provider (NDSP) Optimization Tool lies a deceptively simple question: Which paratransit trips should be assigned to which non-dedicated service providers? 

The answer, historically, required hours of manual labor, cumbersome spreadsheets, and an eye for balancing multiple variables, including cost, rider eligibility, and vehicle availability. 

Today, with AlphaRoute’s tool, that process is executed in minutes with MIT-developed routing algorithms and automation, freeing up staff time and dramatically improving accuracy.

A Technology-Driven Leap Forward

AlphaRoute’s NDSP Optimization tool is integrated with MBTA's paratransit scheduling system and uses advanced algorithms to determine the most cost-effective and performance-optimized assignments for paratransit trips. 

The tool processes complex data daily, accounting for service agreements, customer eligibility, and capacity limits, to route over 1.25 million visits annually with impressive precision.

According to Chris Jurek, deputy chief, paratransit services, at the MBTA, the results have been transformative.

“Before using AlphaRoute, the MBTA was using a very time-intensive and inefficient process to identify trips to shift to NDSPs manually,” he explains. “AlphaRoute has allowed the MBTA to administer a rider choice opt-in program that includes a complex set of criteria under which paratransit customers can be shifted to non-dedicated service providers on an overflow basis, which enables us to very quickly and efficiently determine the daily volume and specific trips to outsource to each NDSP.”

Jurek adds that the process empowers The RIDE to manage its fleet better, optimize system-wide efficiency, and handle demand peaks, while helping to preserve on-time performance. 

AlphaRoute also ensures that shifted trips adhere to the MBTA’s criteria, ensuring that customers are sent a vehicle that meets their needs, while also optimizing the trips shifted to make the most sense for The RIDE’s operations.

Efficiency Meets Cost Savings, Service Quality

The payoff goes far beyond time savings. 

In 2024 alone, the average net savings per outsourced trip were $22.88, representing a substantial return on investment. And more importantly, more than 99.83% of all trips inputted into the system were optimized, demonstrating not only financial efficiency, but operational precision.

Because of the increase in efficiency, cost savings, and more, the MBTA and AlphaRoute have won one of METRO’s Innovative Solutions Awards for Paratransit.

“This award is a reflection of the MBTA’s innovative thinking and national leadership,” says Jurek. “AlphaRoute’s tool is part of a larger innovation ecosystem built on strategic partnerships, forward-thinking technology, and a continuous focus on improving rider experience.”

The tool has also delivered measurable improvements in on-time performance and customer satisfaction. 

AlphaRoute addressed a longstanding MBTA issue related to inaccurate travel time estimations for NDSP trips by leveraging GPS-based AVL data and commercial travel time datasets. This method resulted in far more precise pickup and drop-off times for paratransit users, a critical improvement for a population where timeliness has a direct impact on quality of life.

A Scalable Solution for Transit Systems Nationwide

What makes AlphaRoute’s NDSP Optimization Tool even more compelling is its adaptability. 

As a web-based solution, it can integrate with existing transit management software or operate independently, depending on agency needs.

“The tool is highly customizable,” says Amjed Belkhiri, AlphaRoute's technical lead for the NDSP product. "It's relevant for any agency managing paratransit or microtransit services n partnership with NDSPs. Implementation typically takes two to three weeks, and our team works directly with agency staff to tailor it to local contracts and service goals.”

In addition to cost and labor efficiencies, automation has significantly reduced human error, particularly in situations involving complex eligibility or vehicle requirements. 

The RIDE dispatchers can now focus on addressing more high-touch rider issues, ensuring service quality, and optimizing the system.

The success of the NDSP Optimization Tool is only the beginning for AlphaRoute. 

The company recently finalized a new, more advanced version of the tool interface for MBTA and is exploring additional use cases for agencies launching same-day paratransit models.

“Several transit agencies are making an effort to implement a version of same-day paratransit. We expect this type of tool to become an essential part of managing these same-day paratransit programs, to manage cost, and the ability of transit agencies to meet the demand,” says AlphaRoute Cofounder Diogo Lousa. “AlphaRoute has also explored the use of its innovative Driver Shifts Optimization for paratransit, using historical or predicted data to create more efficient run cuts and assist with driver shortages.” 

Lousa adds that AlphaRoute’s vision doesn’t stop there. 

The company has launched “Alphie AI,” an AI-powered transit analytics chatbot that allows agencies to explore data and trends using natural language queries. The chatbot can be used as a standalone tool and is also expected to eventually integrate with AlphaRoute’s suite of optimization products, including NDSP.

Innovation Rooted in Impact

The NDSP Optimization Tool stands as a model for how innovative technology, operational insight, and human-centered design can come together to transform public transit. 

With the MBTA, AlphaRoute has proven that paratransit can be efficient, scalable, and rider-focused, even amid budget constraints and mounting demand.

“This is not just a software solution,” says Lousa. “It’s a smarter way to serve people who rely on transit every day.”