Dial-a-Ride

Demand-responsive transit (DRT) is also called demand-responsive transport, demand-responsive service, flexible transport services, or paratransit, but is most commonly known as Dial-a-Ride. In many localities Dial-a-Ride is called DART for Dial-a-Ride Transit. Whatever name is used it refers to an advanced public transport system that is user oriented. DRT is a flexible routing and scheduling system for small or medium vehicles that are engaged in sharing rides between pick-up and drop-off locations. The pick-ups and drop-offs are made to satisfy passenger needs.

DRT systems are operations with vehicles that respond to calls from passengers or their agents. A call must be placed to the DRT transit system operator. The transit operator then dispatches a vehicle to pick up the passenger in order to transport him/her to the desired destination. The system is characterized by having vehicles that do not operate over fixed routes. Nor do DRT system vehicles operate [Page 434]on fixed time schedules, although there may be temporary situations in which a vehicle follows a schedule. Typically, the vehicle carries several passengers who are going to different locations from different pickup points. Their journey may be interrupted if new calls come in that require the driver to deviate from the planned route in order to accommodate the latest passengers to call for service.

A Dial-a-Ride van between runs in the city of York in the United Kingdom in April 2012. While private companies run some commercial services, such as airport and casino shuttles, most Dial-a-Ride routes are community not-for-profit enterprises.

DRT systems have been instituted in many rural areas in order to provide transport services. DRT systems are also used in areas where regular bus service is not profitable because of low demand. Funding for DRT systems may come from a local transit authority as a subsidized socially necessary transportation system. In cases where DRT is subsidized, operators may be chosen by auction or by submitting sealed bids for the right to be the transport provider. Regardless of the selection mechanism used, the transport operator is given a monopoly for DRT services it provides.

A DRT system gives people access to transportation that gets them to places and events in the community. It provides a means for people to get to appointments, activities, and social events. Trips to health care providers, places of employment, shopping centers, senior centers, education centers, or recreational places are available in a timely manner. The system is designed for people whose access to transportation or whose physical mobility is limited due to health problems. Such physical challenges may make it difficult for people to use a regular fixed-route bus service even if it is available. What a DRT system offers is a special transportation service that is much better suited to those with a disability, providing, for example wheelchair-equipped vehicles.

Many DRT systems are funded by the local transit authority. Some are self-funded. Most are a community service that is a not-for-profit enterprise. Other DRT systems are funded by private companies for commercial reasons, such as providing customers a ride to their businesses. This may be similar to casinos providing gamblers with a ride to and from home. Some bus companies have set up DRT programs that service airports. In some cases the DRT program may compete with private for-hire shuttle bus companies.

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