Expansion Consists of Two Programs Focusing on Distance and Frequency
Monthly Trip and Subsidy Allocations Introduced and Reflective of Phase 1 Findings
Pilot to Begin August 2023
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced an expansion of the E-Hail pilot, tripling its participants to 3,600 paratransit customers beginning August 2023. E-Hail is an on-demand service that offers Access-A-Ride (AAR) customers the opportunity to book trips in real-time through existing taxi or for-hire vehicle service. The next phase of this program is set to run through February 2024, and could be extended through August 2024 after a six-month review. This expansion will be launched with a larger, more representative sample of Access-A-Ride customers with a $4 co-pay and has two programs: one with a greater per trip subsidy, the Distance option, and the other with a greater number of subsidized trips per month, the High- Volume option.
The distance-based program will provide up to 25 trips a month for up to $40 each and the high volume-based program will provide up to 40 trips a month for up to $25 each. Customers can travel further than their allocation of $25 or $40 and pay the balance of the trip cost.
The customer co-pay for each program is $4 and will be fully applied to the cost of the trip, allowing customers to take a $29 trip or $44 trip before paying any additional cost. E-Hail trips will be provided by Uber, Arro, Corporate Transportation Group (CTG), Lyft and the Drivers Cooperative, with the potential for one or two more on-demand providers to be brought on soon.
“We recognize the convenience greater flexibility in scheduling trips provides for Access-A-Ride customers,” said NYC Transit President Richard Davey. “We established the goal to make improvements to the E-Hail program in the Faster, Cleaner, Safer plan and this next step will allow us to further evaluate how we can offer alternative options to Access-A-Ride customers to improve the paratransit experience.”
“I know firsthand how E-Hail on-demand can significantly improve our customers' lives," said MTA Chief Accessibility Officer Quemuel Arroyo. "I am glad to see us taking these steps to find a sustainable way forward for our E-Hail pilot that can serve more AAR customers, while continuing to invest in our core paratransit service, providing tens of thousands of daily trips.”
“We are excited to expand the E-Hail pilot, bringing on-demand booking and same-day service to more AAR riders, allowing us to better study the program’s benefits, and understand potential costs and the additional funding that would be needed to extend to all paratransit customers,” said MTA Vice President of Paratransit Chris Pangilinan. “We have made major progress in reliability with improvements in on-time performance and customer satisfaction. This expansion complements those efforts as we explore a structure for an on-demand service option that offers our riders an unprecedented level of flexibility and spontaneity while being financially sustainable.”
Federal regulations allow for agencies to charge twice the fixed-route fare for paratransit services, which would mean a charge of up to $5.50 for Access-A-Ride’s traditional services of reserving a trip a day in advance. The MTA has elected to match the subway/bus fare of $2.75. E-Hail is a premium service, much like express buses, and this expansion carries a $4 co-pay which falls below the amount that other organizations charge for their standard paratransit service. The additional 2,400 participants joining the pilot will be selected at random from AAR’s customer base based on factors such as borough, disability, and age.
The parameters set for this second phase are based on the findings from Phase 1 and structured comparably to on-demand paratransit services from agencies across the country making this a more fiscally sustainable pilot. The trip and subsidy allocations will impact a minority of Phase 1 participants, with only 14% of participants having taken 40 or more trips per month on average in spring 2023 and 22% having taken 25 trips or more.
By establishing a set number of trips per month and MTA subsidy per trip, the Authority is able to expand the benefits of E-Hail to 2,400 additional customers, with an adjusted budget of $17.6 million for the E-Hail pilot, compared to the estimated $16 million allocated in the first phase. Additionally, the majority of Phase 1 participants will continue to benefit from the on-demand service with little to no modification in their travel patterns. Phase 1 participants will be assigned to a program based on their travel patterns in the first phase.
Participants in the E-Hail pilot will continue to have access to the standard Access-A-Ride service, which has no limit on travel within the AAR service area at the current transit fare of $2.75. The on-demand service is intended to serve as an additional option to traditional paratransit service, enhancing flexibility and spontaneity for customers.
This next phase of the E-Hail on-demand pilot aims to provide a more reliable forecast of the cost of expanding the E-Hail program and more detailed data for program evaluation through testing of a distance-based program and frequency-based program.
"The initial Access-A-Ride (AAR) on-demand pilot program proved to have been a transformational lifeline to the disability community in the MTA region," said State Senator Leroy Comrie. "My colleagues and I have fought hard for increased transit accessibility so I am excited to see the next phase of the E-hail paratransit program triple the amount of AAR customers that can be served. I commend the MTA for prioritizing this service expansion and hope that we can further scale this program to eventually serve an even greater number of people in need of paratransit services."
"Ensuring all New Yorkers have accessible, reliable and affordable public transportation options is a top priority," said State Senator Tim Kennedy. "I applaud the MTA for launching Phase 2 of their E-Hail program, tripling the number of participants in this ongoing pilot. I look forward to this program continuing to scale up so everyone who relies on this service will have access to it.”
"I am pleased that the MTA is expanding access to the Access-A-Ride E-Hail service,” said State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud. “Many paratransit-dependent New Yorkers have utilized the convenient service that allows flexible travel arrangements. Phase 2 of this E-hail program will continue the upgrade and enhance transit access for New Yorkers with different abilities. I look forward to future program expansions."
"I constantly hear from constituents about the difficulties they face using Access-a-Ride, including the need to schedule every trip well in advance of the actual trip time and drivers who arrive 30 minutes to an hour behind schedule,” said State Senator Liz Krueger. “This complicates the lives of the thousands of New Yorkers who use Access-A-Ride as an essential service to go to work, stay connected to friends and family, go grocery shopping, and keep doctors' appointments. The MTA's expansion of its E-Hail pilot program will make life much easier for Access-A-Ride users, who deserve service just as good as any other New Yorker."
“The E-Hail on-demand pilot has proven to be another great option for those who need quick and reliable paratransit options,” said Assembly Member Ken Zebrowski. “Expanding the pilot will allow the MTA and NYCT to truly understand the cost of expanding the program further. I am encouraged to see the pilot moving into phase II and look forward to 2,400 new members of the pilot benefiting from this service.”
“The MTA's Phase 2 E-Hail expansion enhances accessibility and flexibility for paratransit customers,” said Assembly Member Jeffrey Dinowitz. “It triples the pilot participants to 3,600 Access-A-Ride customers and offers on-demand service through an app or phone call. Two pilot programs focus on distance and frequency, with monthly trip and subsidy allocations based on Phase 1 findings. This balanced approach provides cost-effectiveness while maintaining access to standard service. Lessons from Phase 1 and insights from other systems ensure sustainability and efficient resource use. Although this is a very good next step to address this issue, I look forward to further increases in service for those in need.”
Phase 1 Findings
The E-Hail pilot originally launched in 2017 to 200 customers and expanded to 1,200 customers shortly thereafter, allowed paratransit customers to book rides on-demand through the app for $2.75 a trip with no limits on trips or cost. The pilot was launched to explore how to provide additional, flexible transportation options for paratransit customers above and beyond what is federally mandated.
From Phase 1, the median number of trips per month was 17.5 and the median cost per trip was $40. Out of the 1,200 customers in the pilot, as many as 21 people took over 150 trips in one month, and top 6% of participants used 50% of the pilot's budget.
Phase 1 findings pointed to the program not being financially sustainable, and not an efficient use of the MTA's resources with an unlimited number of trips and no limit on the cost per customer. The lessons from the first phase of the pilot along with studying the progress of other paratransit systems assisted in guiding the parameters for this expansion with a defined number of trips allocated per month and a set MTA subsidy allocated per trip.