Paratransit update: MBTA outlines procurement and fleet plans as riders press for fixes to no‑shows, ETAs and app glitches

Chris Jurek, interim chief of paratransit services at the MBTA, briefed RTAG on Ride priorities including multiple procurement processes, planned fleet replacement discussions and expanded performance monitoring, and invited community input for vehicle design and contract language.

Jurek said non‑dedicated service provider awards for certain services were approved recently (naming Uber, Lyft and Uzurv) and that the agency is starting industry outreach for reprocurement of dedicated service provider contracts that expire next June. He described plans to engage RTAG on vehicle replacement to understand rider needs and to inform procurement specifications.

“Where it comes time to replace [the sedans], we need a new vehicle type again,” Jurek said, adding that MBTA staff will start industry conversations next month and aim to issue procurement steps later this spring.

The meeting featured substantial rider testimony about operational problems. Multiple commenters said the Spare app and TRAC workflows sometimes fail to cancel trips, misplace map pins or yield inaccurate ETAs that turn ten‑minute calls into hour‑long waits. One participant, Dejan, said a Feb. 12 trip left them behind and that MBTA declined to remove the resulting no‑show from their record despite a complaint.

“On February 12, 2026, the Ride driver left me behind... This has got to stop. There has to be accountability,” Dejan said. Jurek replied that staff would review the trip record and the agency would investigate complaints, but he did not offer trip‑level findings during the meeting.

MBTA staff acknowledged some booking and cancellation issues in eligibility workflows were resolved, said configuration changes to the Spare platform are planned over the next few weeks to improve ETA accuracy, and noted the Mobility Center is expanding app training. For Flex, MBTA staff said the program is a voucher model that routes customers to Uber or Lyft and that, as a tradeoff, MBTA has limited direct control over drivers; MBTA said new contract language will include stronger requirements and penalties.

Riders raised additional concerns about drivers failing to respond to calls or texts, language barriers, inaccessible airport curbside pickups, baggage/cart policies on vans, and the need for drivers to introduce themselves for blind riders. MBTA staff said they will escalate patterns of Flex driver issues to vendor partners, continue to refine baggage policy and vehicle specifications, and collect complaints via MBTA Customer Support (617‑222‑3200 or the website) so they can be investigated.

Why it matters: paratransit reliability directly affects mobility for riders with disabilities; procurement, vehicle design and contract enforcement are levers the MBTA can use to improve on‑time performance and rider experience.

Next steps: MBTA will follow up with complainants, make planned platform configuration changes to Spare/TRAC, expand app training, continue industry outreach for dedicated service procurements and consider vehicle features informed by RTAG feedback.