The Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC) published a research report on using a new data standard to improve transportation for people with disabilities, older adults, and residents of rural areas.

A roadmap to implement this new data standard was also published at the same time.

The Importance of Demand-Responsive Transportation

Human services transportation normally is implemented through demand-responsive transportation (DRT). These services do not follow fixed routes or schedules and include dial-a-ride, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) complementary paratransit, taxis, volunteer-provided transportation, and app-based ride-hailing services.

It is estimated there are 1,000 DTR services currently operating in the U.S.

Many small towns and rural areas rely on a DRT service for public transit as well as most human services transportation providers.

People who cannot drive or access regular public transportation rely on demand-responsive services. 

However, these services are often fragmented and there may be multiple providers in any given region. When these services operate separately from each other it can lead to riders finding duplicative services and denials of trip request.

Bringing Services Together

The lack of adequate technology has been a major obstacle to service coordination until recently. 

A new transactional data specification (TDS) for DRT report was published in 2020 by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Transportation Research Board looking at solutions to address this.

Noteworthy case studies included in the report are on projects from North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization in Northern Colorado, the Minnesota Department of Transportation TDS Pilot in Southern and Western Minnesota. Projects in Ohio, California, Oregon, and Washington are also summarized in the report.

“Creating an open and interoperable platform was key to the success of Minnesota DOT’s regional multimodal digital trip planner. Using TDS as the basis of our booking integration helped rural dial-a-ride and ADA paratransit services seamlessly connect their scheduling software to trip planning so their riders can easily request a ride 24/7," said Greater Minnesota Shared Mobility Program Coordinator Elliott McFadden. "Our use of the TDS data standard means this solution will work with other software providers and allow us to scale this solution to the rest of the state,” 

A Practical Resource

Key takeaways from the demonstration projects are highlighted in the paper. Additional coordination opportunities, such as with providers of non-emergency medical transportation, are also outlined.

TDS can bridge gaps while enhancing service interoperability and access through the methods discussed in the new report.

“The TDS demonstration projects highlight the innovative approaches that rural and urban communities around the country are taking to increase transportation access. We hope these resources offer valuable insights and practical guidance to nonprofit human services transportation providers, transit agencies, state DOTs, metropolitan planning organizations and their stakeholders and that they drive widespread adoption of the TDS”, says Benjamin de la Pena, CEO of the Shared Use Mobility Center.