The disabled and elderly often rely on public transportation to get them where they need to go. Now, Richmond officials are hoping to make things a bit easier by partnering with a local tech start-up.
UZURV is a Richmond-based company that lets people schedule rides in advance with companies like Uber and Lyft. Under a new pilot program, those who qualify can now use the service at a flat rate of $6, with Richmond’s public transport agency picking up as much as $15 more.
Carrie Rose Pace is with the Greater Richmond Transit Company. She says the partnership gives much needed flexibility to the elderly and disabled. They currently use a carpooling service called CARE, where trips have to be scheduled at least a day in advance and can cost the city, on average, $28 a ride.
Rose Pace recently spoke with one 93-year old user, who says that when she leaves home, she wants to make her trips count.
“And if she’s on a shared ride situation where she’s on the van for a long period of time time,or if it’s really hot or really cold,” says Rose Pace. “And so now she can wake up one day and if the weather forecast is a little different or she’s not quite sure how she feels traveling that day, she can change her mind. Or she can decide ‘No I want to travel today, I’m going to give them a call I would like to go out and have lunch with my friends.’”
UZURV also operates in Roanoke, Northern Virginia and Charlottesville. Rose Pace says she’s already fielded questions about the partnership from another transport agency in the state.
The pilot partnership will last a year and begins August 1st.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.