Spare Time: Driving Innovation

In this issue of Spare Time, we recap our first-ever Product Keynote livestream, and review some exciting new service launches from this month.

Recent Industry Developments and Our Partners in the News ??

The Paratransit Evolution is Here, But Where is it Headed? -> Read Metro Magazine Article

WA: C-Tran's incoming CEO started career as bus driver, has worked as transit manager since 2021 -> Read Mass Transit Article

Our First Product Keynote ???

This month, we debuted Spare’s first-ever Product Keynote Showcase, where we had the unique chance to share some recent product releases and unveil what’s in store for the coming months.?

In case you missed the livestream, here are the key takeaways:

• How?Live Messaging?can enhance driver and dispatcher communication
• How our new rider communication features, like?Bulk Messaging,?enables more efficient communication between agencies and riders
• How we’ve streamlined the?Spare Open Fleets?setup process down to four clicks
• How we’ve boosted the optimization frequency of our?Global Optimization of Live Duties (GOLD)?algorithm from every 10 minutes, down to 1 minute, drastically improving trip reliability and on-time performance.

-> Watch the Product Keynote On-Demand, here.

Wheels on Reels ????

We love seeing how our partnerships with agencies enhance the lives of riders — after all, that’s why we work in transit.?

It’s awesome to see user generated content online from the rider perspective: @dallasurbanists on Instagram recently shared their experience riding the DART GoLink service in a short video and provided an overview on how to ride the service. We love to see these kinds of conversations happening both in person and online.

-> View Video

New Launches ??

We're excited to announce that this month, we have welcomed several new partners into our growing Spare network:

1. Gulf Coast Transit District (GCTD): On February 14th, GCTD introduced "Ride The Wave," a cutting-edge microtransit service replacing underperforming fixed-route and paratransit services in Texas City, Galveston, and Brazoria. ??
2. Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA): On January 29th, 2024, GATRA modernized their 30-year-old paratransit system with the launch of Dial-A-Ride and ADA Paratransit services in Wareham, Plymouth, Attleboro, and Taunton, Massachusetts, USA. ??
3. Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA): Since launching on January 9th, 2024, DCTA significantly improved on-time performance (OTP) by 15% with their new microtransit and paratransit services – Access, Frisco Demand Response, and Collin County Rides, covering Denton, Lewisville, Highland Village, Frisco, and more. ?
4. Hill Country Transit District (The HOP): A breakthrough on-demand service focusing on barracks, deploying two microtransit vehicles in the initial phase. This launch is a significant stride towards enhanced accessibility and convenience, especially for the army base, which was without bus services for over two decades. ??
5. Timmins Transit: Marking a new era of efficiency and convenience, Timmins Transit launches a two-vehicle paratransit service in Ontario, Canada in the first phase. This innovative service enhances accessibility for riders, transitioning away from manual dispatching and Excel-based trip management. ??

Subscribe to Spare so you can stay in-the-know on new launches and implementations like these -> Subscribe Now ??

Texas Transit Association Workshop ???

Attending the Texas Transit Association Conference and EXPO next month? Be sure to attend our workshop on How to Future-Ready your ADA Paratransit Services with guest speakers from Citibus and Texas A&M Transportation Institute. ??

Thank you for reading this edition of Spare Time!

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See you next month! ??