DRCOG updates board on Ride Alliance trip‑exchange pilot; cross‑county trips dominate demand

Denver Regional Council of Governments staff presented results from the Ride Alliance Stage 1 SMART‑grant pilot, a test of a trip‑exchange hub designed to coordinate demand‑response transportation for older adults and people with disabilities.

Mallory Miller, senior planner, summarized pilot outcomes: the technical platform ran with zero downtime over a six‑week/30‑operating‑day pilot; 56 trip requests were submitted (36 completed; 20 cancellations were client‑directed, primarily due to weather or health), 19 unique clients participated and 79% of those clients were female (noted as a pilot artifact). Notably 42 of 56 trip requests crossed county lines, demonstrating cross‑county demand that current siloed provider arrangements struggle to meet.

The pilot integrated four transportation providers using three integration methods (direct API, middleware translation and a global CSV upload template) and included a direct connection with Uber for on‑demand rides. The pilot tested ambulatory, wheelchair‑accessible and paratransit trip types, achieved 100% availability of the trip exchange platform during the pilot and identified improvements that would support scaling. Stage 1 contracting and timeline constraints limited the pilot’s duration; staff obtained approval to use remaining Stage 1 funds to extend the pilot through June 30 and to test an interregional trip with the North Front Range MPO.

Staff said next steps include building a bidirectional API with the Area Agency on Aging reporting system (Aspire), seeking further funding (Human Service Transportation set‑aside and congressional directed spending), preparing marketing and user materials, and refining integration methods for broader provider participation.