What is UZURV?: For Communities and Transportation Providers - It’s a Win-Win Solution to an Age-Old Problem

For decades, communities, transit agencies and other transportation providers have struggled with the challenge of providing accessible curb-to-curb or door-to-door transportation for older adults, people with disabilities and other customers who cannot use other forms of transportation. The typical approach has been to provide curb-to-curb or door-to-door paratransit services that require customers to book trips in advance and share their rides. These services are highly regulated, costly to provide and often do not meet the needs of riders. Put simply, it’s a system that doesn’t really work well for anyone.

UZURV is an adaptive transportation network company (TNC) that utilizes an extensive network of credentialed drivers and a robust mobility on demand technology platform to provide fully compliant, accessible and affordable door-to-door transportation on behalf of communities, transit agencies, healthcare providers and an array of other organizations across more than 20 states. One size does not fit all, and UZURV is able to tailor a service approach that can meet the operational, administrative and financial needs of virtually any organization, regardless of size, geography and budget.

How UZURV Works for Riders

UZURV’s success depends on meeting the needs of real-world customers, and we do that by delivering on-demand transportation services that are accessible, convenient, reliable and safe.

UZURV is Accessible

Every aspect of the UZURV business model has been designed to be accessible for people with disabilities, older adults and other transportation disadvantaged people to use. Equity and accessibility form the basis of everything we do. Here’s how:

• Customers can request, monitor, modify and pay for service by phone or through fully accessible mobile apps that have been designed and tested to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines published by the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C).
• The UZURV fleet includes sedans as well as accessible minivans and vans capable of transporting virtually any customer, including those who use mobility devices and/or who travel with service animals.
• UZURV is designed to be a door-to-door service, and drivers are able to provide assistance to riders with boarding and exiting vehicles upon request.
• UZURV is able to accept payments from riders in virtually any format, including those riders who do not have access to banking smartphones, banking accounts or credit/debit cards.

UZURV is Convenient

Like all other people, riders have busy and unpredictable lives. As a result, UZURV has built its mobility on demand platform to support the value of convenience.

• Riders are able to schedule trips up to 30 days before travel, but they can also request trips in as little as one hour before travel. UZURV is also able to schedule will-call returns for those hard-to-predict appointments.
• UZURV’s IOS and Android compatible mobile apps make it easy for riders to manage any aspect of service on-the-go, and the apps are accessible for people using screen readers, screen magnification or other types of smartphone-based assistive technology. And for customers who need it, our Customer Service Center is also available.

Combine this fact with the fact that traditional paratransit rides are sometimes shared, and sometimes not, and you have a service that often gets riders to their destinations very early or very late, and customers can rarely predict what to expect. As a result, although most customers appreciate this most costly of services, few of them actually enjoy using it. This means more complaints and diminished customer perceptions about the sponsoring agency and the provider delivering the trips.

Because UZURV provides each trip individually, we are able to offer more certainty about when the ride will arrive, and we can predict the travel time. For the rider, this means less time waiting, less time riding, and less uncertainty about how long each trip will take. Additionally, UZURV drivers are expected to arrive on time, and UZURV offers driver incentives for doing so. As a result, UZURV runs on-time for more than 98% of the trips we provide. And to further promote high-quality service, UZURV’s “Favorite Driver” feature allows paratransit riders to identify the drivers who provide the best service. Favorited drivers get a higher preference for future trips, which promotes high-quality service. Driver ratings may not be uncommon in the world of TNCs, but they are revolutionary for paratransit and healthcare transportation.

UZURV is Built to be Safe

The COVID-19 health emergency highlighted the need for safety, and UZURV is proud of the fact that to date, none of our drivers or customers have acquired COVID-19 through an exposure resulting from their use of the UZURV service. But our commitment to safety goes much farther than highly effective health and safety protocols.

• UZURV drivers must pass agency-specified criminal and driving background checks and federally mandated substance abuse testing protocols before transporting customers.
• UZURV provides materials, online videos and other information designed to ensure that drivers are competent and confident when serving older adults and people with disabilities.
• Vehicles operating on the UZURV platform are required to meet stringent age, mileage, maintenance and cleanliness requirements.
• UZURV customers are able to rate their drivers and request favorite drivers. This helps to ensure that customers are never required to travel with a driver who makes them uncomfortable.
• Every UZURV trip is monitored by our national Customer Service Center in real-time, meaning that no customer is ever alone and unaccounted for.

But What About the Agency?

UZURV doesn’t just offer a great product for riders. We deliver technology, transparency and cost savings, all of which make it possible for the communities, transit agencies, healthcare providers and other organizations who fund service to do more with their transportation budgets.

The UZURV Technology Platform

UZURV’s technology platform gives our clients the ability to implement, manage, and scale transportation programs seamlessly–without stretching budgets or resources. In fact, UZURV’s clients report per-trip savings over the cost of more traditional paratransit services. The UZURV technology platform allows us to deliver impeccable service on behalf of our clients for each customer, from the trip request through the drop-off. UZURV supports every aspect of service delivery, including trip scheduling and dispatching, provider and driver assignment, payment transactions, and data collection and reporting. Using the UZURV technology platform frees agency and/or provider staff to focus on other critical tasks.

Transparent Access to Information

Implementation of a new technology platform can be challenging, but UZURV is able to be tailored to fit the operational needs of virtually any program partner and technology configuration. The platform integrates with many transportation SaaS providers including Trapeze and Ecolane DRT, and additional integrations can be created when requested by a client. This means that an agency or provider staff can continue to interact with UZURV services in the same native environment as other services, and it means that all UZURV-related service data is available to the agency or organization just as it is for other services. 

Additionally, UZURV’s experienced Client Strategy Team is available throughout the implementation process. Client Strategy assists with technology integrations, program launch plans, driver recruiting, program marketing and media relations, and much more. Plus, the team provides regular updates and reporting to ensure agency and/or provider staff have the data they need to make informed decisions. The team is also on hand to provide consulting whenever a shift in strategy is needed to meet operational, budgetary, policy, or federal regulatory changes.

How UZURV Saves Money for Clients

Savings vary, but UZURV has been able to save our current clients between 15 and 52 percent over the cost of trips delivered through more traditional paratransit services. Here’s how.

• The agency is able to purchase transportation without needing to invest in a costly fleet, facilities and technology.
• When UZURV is operated in conjunction with shared-ride paratransit that serves major trip generators such as senior centers, social service agencies and rehabilitation centers, agencies can focus a smaller number of dedicated vehicles on trips that should be shared while leaving the rest to UZURV.

What is UZURV – A Service that Unites Agencies, Drivers and Customers Alike

UZURV has been designed to meet the needs of everyone involved in the on-demand transportation marketplace—the agencies who fund the services, the drivers who deliver it, and the riders who need it. Put simply, we are transforming mobility, and a growing number of customers, drivers and agencies are experiencing the UZURV difference. To learn more, please visit our website or give us a call, and let’s discuss what accessible and affordable on-demand transportation can do for you.