Sudbury committee debates Uber voucher transition, taxi contracts and staffing as June contract deadlines loom

The Sudbury Transportation Committee spent much of its March 7 meeting discussing operational options for the town’s subsidized ride programs as multiple vendor contracts and pilots approach June expirations.

Committee members reviewed an initial conversation with Uber about moving from the committee’s current dispatch‑plus-subsidy model toward an electronic voucher system. Jill Dubey, a senior center participant on the call, said Uber’s voucher approach would “catch the number of rides” and automatically remove a rider’s voucher after it is used, reducing manual weekly monitoring. “After they've used the 4 or the 6 … they no longer have the ability to use a ride at the reduced cost,” Dubey said.

Members and staff said they had not reached final agreement on how vouchers would be applied. Committee members reported conflicting descriptions during the meeting about whether the voucher functions as the rider’s co‑pay or whether it acts as a coupon that covers a portion of the ride and leaves the rider responsible for…