City committee hears ridership rebound and user complaints over paratransit scheduling after software change

Taylor, transit staff for the City of Norman, told the City Council Community Planning and Transportation Committee on April 25 that fixed-route ridership rebounded strongly in March and that staff expects updated paratransit numbers next month after a new scheduling software is fine-tuned.

The update came as paratransit users brought detailed complaints about customer-service breakdowns, long on‑vehicle times and safety problems since Embark implemented the new scheduling system two months earlier. Chris Nanny, a paratransit user who said he chaired the CART advisory committee for 10 years, told the committee the new software has “wreaked havoc for us,” listing missed messages, rides dropped or delayed, and drivers under stress.

The memo and ridership reports attached to tonight's meeting show fixed‑route trips in March totaled 43,178, compared with 31,961 in March 2024. Taylor said weekday fixed‑route productivity rose to about 21 passenger trips per service hour, roughly a 15% increase over last March. Norman on Demand reported “just over 3,800” rides in March versus about 2,662 the prior March, a roughly 30% increase.

Why it matters: committee members and staff framed the ridership gains as positive but cautioned that service quality…