The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA) is teaming with UZURV to provide services to transportation disadvantaged (TD) residents — older adults, individuals of low income, and people with physical or mental disabilities.

The new service, called TD Tampa Bay, will allow qualified riders to schedule on-demand, cross-county trips through TBARTA’s five county region, which includes Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, and Pinellas counties. TD Tampa Bay will complement the intra-county TD service already provided by local Community Transportation Coordinators (CTCs), who primarily offer transportation within their county’s borders. Participants in the new service must first be qualified by their local CTC or through TD Tampa Bay. Service will begin on Dec. 1.

TD Tampa Bay is designed to fill the gaps, providing transportation that otherwise is not available. Qualified residents will be eligible for UZURV’s on-demand and scheduled ambulatory and wheelchair accessible rides seven days a week — 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, and 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekends. Riders will also have access to a multilingual call center and rider app to schedule rides.

TD Tampa Bay was made possible by an Innovation and Service Development Grant Award approved by the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged (CTD). The grant will cover most expenses, with riders paying a flat $6 fee per trip, regardless of the destination.

Florida’s CTD coordinates shared ride services in all 67 state counties through local CTCs. Information on how to sign-up, qualify, and schedule rides will be posted later this month at www.TDTampaBay.com.