The primary concern of any public transportation system is safety, for employees and riders alike. Our WAV partners are carefully vetted for their safety record and safety culture.

Tristar drivers undergo extensive training that Lauren says “exceeds every state National Safety Council. and contractual requirements…” Tristar then takes safety one step further, “investing in high-tech onboard cameras and GPS vehicle trackers, to ensure we have the best results possible.”

Lauren explains that to be a good partner to UZURV and riders Tristar must be reliable, which means, “showing up on time, and actually showing up to complete the ride…and then just providing good solid customer service and an enjoyable ride.”

UZURV looks for WAV providers that allow us and our transit partners to ‘set it and forget it’ knowing that accepted rides will be completed. Lauren describes Tristar as cautious when booking rides, “because we are so adamant about not overbooking ourselves.” Tristar has built its processes to be certain that each ride can be completed with a high on-time percentage.

Paratransit services function very differently from traditional public transportation. This is not the world of routes running on set schedules, riders have differing needs that often can’t be addressed with standardized solutions.

This is why it’s incredibly important for a WAV provider to be flexible. For Tristar, Lauren says, “Flexibility is the big one for us. Where we really go above and beyond to cater to the rider. Whether that’s a special vehicle type, a certain type of music, or a radio station, we make sure we provide the most comfortable ride for everybody.”

UZURV offers transit agencies options to improve WAV service, a common challenge when there are driver or vehicle shortages. We work hard with our WAV providers across the country on important factors like on-time percentages, reliability, safety, and service. But we never lose sight of the positive impact we can have on the lives of the riders.

Lauren shares her thoughts on the shared mission of COTA, UZURV, and Tristar, “if you take a step back, we’re providing a very important service to the community. Especially being able to partner with UZURV and COTA to help the community that relies on subsidized rides from the transit agency to get to medical appointments and personal errands. It feels really good to be able to support that.”

Learn more about how COTA has leveraged UZURV’s FTA-Compliant fleet to provide ADA Paratransit in Columbus, OH here: COTA Case Study