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Chicago Taxi Programs

Chicago Taxi Programs. Alternative Public Transportation Options Using Taxi Services And Technologies. Presented by: Melinda J. Metzger Deputy Executive Director September 20, 2010. ADA Paratransit Services. FTA requirements

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Chicago Taxi Programs

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  1. Chicago Taxi Programs • Alternative Public Transportation Options Using Taxi Services • And • Technologies Presented by: Melinda J. Metzger Deputy Executive Director September 20, 2010

  2. ADA Paratransit Services • FTA requirements • FTA requires complementary ADA paratransit services with in ¾ miles of a fixed route • Service must be provided on the same days and hours as fixed route services • Fares may be established at twice the fixed route fare • Challenges • Controlling cost • Meeting service demand • Options Taxi services are used around the country to assist in providing ADA paratransit services

  3. Pace Taxi Models • Suburban Taxi Services • DuPage and Kane Counties • Consumer access via a central call center • Pace taxi contract services • Reimbursement at contracted mileage rates • Contract driver/vehicle requirements and performance measures • Regulatory Agency- Various municipalities • City of Chicago Taxi Services • User side subsidy • Pace limited rate reimbursement • Regulatory Agency City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection

  4. Suburban Taxi Programs Ride DuPage 24/7 Demand Response Ride in Kane 24/7 Demand Response • Pace contracts directly with various taxi companies • Service is managed by central call center • Trips are brokered and communicated through Trapeze Trip Broker system • Performance measures accessed daily • Fares vary by service area • Regulatory Agencies – Local Municpalities

  5. Chicago Taxi Programs Taxi Access Program (TAP) On Demand and Hail Service Mobility Direct Program (MD) Subscription Service

  6. Taxi Access Program (TAP)in Chicago • TAP provides on demand same day taxi service for eligible ADA Paratransit passengers • City of Chicago ordinance mandates all taxi affiliations and independents to participate in TAP • ADA certified customers use taxis for trips that originate in the City of Chicago at subsidized rates • ADA certified customers can purchase one-way rides valued up to $13.50 for $5.00

  7. Mobility Direct Program (MD) • MD program is available to eligible ADA Paratransit passengers • MD program provides subscription taxi service within the City of Chicago • Trips must occur at least twice a week to and from the same places and on the same days and at the same time each day • Taxi affiliations choose to participate in the MD program • MD Fare is $3.00 each one way trip (same as paratransit services)

  8. Pace ChicagoTaxi Programs • TAP and MD are low cost and convenient options for ADA certified riders • These services go beyond what is required by FTA for ADA Paratransit

  9. TAP and MD Start up Challenges • Taxi programs operated using manual and paper based voucher systems • Printing and inventory of 350,000 vouchers annually • Manual audit of each voucher presented for payment • Manual reconciliation of taxi invoices to process payment • Mailed voucher may take up to 7 days to deliver to customer • MD trips manually communicated and reconciled • Paper vouchers susceptible to mistakes • Labor intensive to manage/monitor

  10. Swipe Card Technology Replaced Old Manual System

  11. How It Works • Card is swiped at the beginning and at the end of the trip to communicate GPS data • System communicates cab #, driver # and rider information • System verifies eligibility of trip • Authorizes or denies trip • Wireless communication sends complete trip data to system to process payment

  12. Captures Comprehensive Service Data

  13. Automated Auditing Tools • Data available in real time • GPS verification of trip origin and destination • Fare verification • Identifies service area violations • Identifies trip linking violations • Identify drivers with frequent maximum fares • Identifies questionable patterns of trips • Identified trend information by driver and rider

  14. Technology Benefits to Pace • Elimination of printing and inventory of paper vouchers • Elimination of manual invoice reconciliation for payment • Automated auditing tools to identify fraud and trips which violate service guidelines • GPS data for planning and trip verification • Quicker turnaround and better tracking of expenses and revenue

  15. Technology Benefits for Riders • One card – no paper vouchers to buy and carry • On-line purchase of trips – 24/7 • On-line and IVR tracking of usage – 24/7 • Immediate access of trips after purchase

  16. Technology Benefits for Taxis • Electronic payment process –no paperwork • Quicker turnaround of payment • Ease of eligibility determination • Picture ID of rider • Swipe verification of rider eligibility and rider account verification

  17. Milestones • MD and TAP card demonstration: August, 2007 • MD Fully implemented: March, 2008 • TAP fully implemented: September, 2009 • Last paper voucher expired: March, 2010

  18. Growth of Trips Using Swipe Card May-09 Jun-09 Jul-09 Aug-09 Sep-09 Oct-09 Nov-09

  19. Taxi Equipment Inspections • The City of Chicago, in collaboration with Pace, has set up inspection processes for taxi swipe card devices. • Devices are checked for communication of GPS and Pace swipe card information.

  20. % of Trips with Complete GPS Data Data Collected Shows Steady Increase

  21. Continued Challenges • Coordination with City of Chicago regulatory agency and taxi industry – City has been very supportive of Pace • Compatibility of taxi card reading equipment and software with Cab Connect (examples: back seat card readers, software updates, etc.) • Certification process of card reading equipment in Chicago taxis • Continuous driver and rider training • Coordinate with other paratransit technologies and data • How to expand the technology into the suburbs- regulatory- ordinances vary

  22. Pros and Cons • Pros • 24/7 service access • Cost efficient - Paratransit service supplements existing taxi service • Variety of taxi providers • Cons • Quality of service varies- Driver needs training to better understand how to serve people with disabilities • Driver accountability- Taxi companies do not employ drivers • Reconciliation of billing information

  23. In Conclusion Transit continues to look at ways to utilize the taxi industry in paratransit services

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