After six weeks on the road, the city’s paratransit on-demand program is riding high.
Since the app’s introduction on Feb. 12, rider satisfaction has been rated at 94 per cent, said Marcel Côté, Timmins Transit’s manager of transit operations, at the March 27 Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee (MAAC) meeting.
“We’re really pleased with how the system is working,” he said.
The app runs through Spare, a company that has developed on-demand services throughout North America. In October 2023, Spare was awarded the $277,620 contract to design and implement the app.
The app allows eligible users to book paratransit trips with more flexibility than the previous booking system.
So far, the rate of on-time trips is 92 per cent, and Côté said improvements can still be made.
“Some of it is human error and getting used to the system,” he said. “
Committee member David Rivard pointed out the new system has required some adjustments from the users. He added that the uncertainty can be prohibitive.
“The library closes at 8, and I don’t want to get stuck waiting outside in the cold,” he said.
The app offers a half-hour window around the requested pick-up time, which can mean that some users may be unsure when to ask for help from caregivers. Côté said there have been some growing pains, but the program has been a success so far.
The data regarding user satisfaction and on-time pick-ups shared during the meeting is supplied through the app. Users are asked to rate their trips and experiences using the app.
The program has been in the works for a long time and MAAC chair Dan McKay said it’s good to see it come together.
“It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “This is something we talked about when MAAC was first put together in 2002.”
