Introducing Connexion Plus Powered by UZURV
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is an independent state agency managing every aspect of transportation in the City of Jacksonville and the rest of Duval County in northeast Florida. JTA’s mission is “to improve Northeast Florida’s economy, environment and quality of life by providing safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable multimodal transportation,” including for older adults and people with disabilities. JTA not only serves the largest city in the United States (in terms of area); it does so in a manner that has recognized JTA as being one of the most innovative and forward-thinking transportation agencies in the country.
The Challenge – When Growth and Goals Collide
Among a list of JTA’s broad agency-level goals are:
- Customer Satisfaction — Deliver a superior and reliable customer experience.
- Financial Sustainability — Ensure long-term financial sustainability.
- Transformative Mobility Solutions — Deliver innovative transportation choices providing accessible mobility throughout the community.
Each of the JTA’s goals are clear and compelling, but when a region experiences sustained growth over decades, simultaneously achieving and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction, innovation, and financial sustainability is not easy. And this is the precise dilemma that the JTA faced in its Connexion paratransit program in early 2018. Connexion was growing; costs were rising; providers were struggling to manage demand; and customers were noticing. As a result, on-time performance declined and complaints increased.
At the same time, JTA was launching a new microtransit service and wanted to ensure the benefits of that innovation could be enjoyed by every JTA customer, including those with disabilities who depended on Connexion.
Recognizing the benefits that opt-in, on-demand paratransit was delivering in a handful of other cities, including Baltimore, Boston, Denver, Phoenix, and Pinellas County, JTA decided to establish its own opt-in on-demand paratransit service for Connexion riders called Connexion Plus. Connexion Plus enabled eligible riders (both those who were ambulatory and those requiring wheelchair-accessible service) to request and receive on-demand, paratransit trips from providers who would use their own vehicles and FTA-compliant drivers. In October of 2018, UZURV was selected as the Connexion Plus provider. Service launched on-time during the first week of April, 2019.
Core Outcomes
33%
Pre-COVID Per Paratransit Trip Cost Savings
56%
Post-COVID Per Paratransit Trip Cost Savings
98%
On-time Percentage
How Connexion Plus Delivers Unmatched Service
Service is available for all ADA certified customers, including those who require wheelchair-accessible service. Trips are provided directly—no shared rides, and all drivers meet all FTA and state-specific requirements, including Section 14-90, Florida Administrative Code.
Customers can request trips at least two hours before travel by contacting the UZURV Customer Service Center.
Trips are available anywhere within Duval County on weekdays between 5:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. and on weekends and holidays between 5:30 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.
The fare is $6 for up to 15 miles and $2 per mile thereafter for the first passenger and an additional $4 per additional passenger. There is no charge for a Personal Care Attendant (PCA.)
A Successful Collaboration
When Connexion Plus launched in April of 2019, JTA envisioned a program that would provide a modest 80 trips a day in order to to curb rapidly increasing demand for the more costly Connexion program. However, customers embraced the new service model quickly and ridership expanded to more than double original projections within the first three months. Since that time, growth has stabilized, and JTA has benefited from a more financially sustainable paratransit structure (Connexion and Connexion Plus combined). In turn, riders have benefited from a broader mix of service choices and an enhanced rider experience. Due to the successes of the program JTA incorporated, on an average day, UZURV delivers:
- 330 one-way trips (approximately 60 of which are for customers requiring wheelchair-accessible vehicle service) using the UZURV fleet and seven subcontractors who operate wheelchair-accessible vehicles.
- 98% on-time performance.
- A net average trip cost of $24.39 per trip, which is 33% below the pre-COVID average cost for an ADA paratransit trip and 56% below the post-COVID cost per trip.