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Trends in Paratransit Technology

In the effort to control costs, increase productivity and provide better service, demand response transit agencies of all sizes are looking to new information technology systems.  In the past ten years a number of technology solutions have become available to support most functional areas of a paratransit organization, including service planning, client management, scheduling and dispatch, and daily operations.  These applications have typically automated formerly manual processes and have allowed greater management insight into a variety of operational issues.  Today, there is a staggering array of new technologies that go beyond basic automation and seem to promise huge gains in efficiency, customer service and the integration of paratransit into the broader mix of transportation services. 

This paper looks at three of these new solutions -- mobile computing, spatial analysis and enhanced customer information systems -- and how they might deliver on these promises. The paper also examines the challenges paratransit providers may face in implementing these solutions and where there are realistic opportunities to achieve better service integration.

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