Demand Response Software

The vendor is required to provide to procure and implement a new demand response and paratransit software solution and provide consulting services to assist authority with the design and implementation of a new micro transit service.
• Provide a service that makes transit readily available in areas not currently served by a fixed route
• Maximize authority fixed-route service when applicable.
• Improve the authority customer and user experience by simplifying people’s mobility experiences.
• Minimize the impact of change to act riders who use our county wide your ride service.
• Improve passenger efficiency metrics when compared to our dial-a-ride service.
• Achieve 70% farebox recovery ratio.
• Lower operational costs per passenger.
• Create new opportunities to partner with local businesses.
• Demonstrate capability to provide micro-transit services for entire 640 square miles of county.
• Demonstrate the ability to provide on demand ride services for entire 640 square miles of county
1. Micro transit consulting
• Determine type of service
o Zone, first and last mile, etc.
• Analyze current authority service models
• Analyze potential locations and develop a route plan
• Create service area profiles
• Perform title vi equity analysis
• Create a heat map outlining potential locations
• Work with authority to implement base and new service into the software
• Determine vehicle types and needs over time
• Determining fare structure and cost
• Perform a fare equity analysis
• Service and cost analysis
• Projected ridership for each location to be serviced
• Projected fare incomes
• Forecasting models for ridership/fare demographic metrics
• Internal and external marketing plan
• Proven public engagement methods
• Timeline/description of events
• How to use the software services (riders)
• How to use the software services (authority user)
• How to use the software services (authority admin)
• Determine type of service zoned, first/last mile, etc.
2. Software - general requirements
• A dynamic ride dispatch algorithm that optimizes vehicle routing and efficiently matches vehicles and riders in real time. 
• System assigns passenger trips to driver manifest immediately upon booking. 
• Ability to co-mingle scheduled trips with real time trip requests. 
• Would like the ability to identify act clients on trip itinerary and or assign act status to rider profile. 
• Configurable parameters with the ability to add or edit vehicles, vehicle capacities, passenger wait times, passenger travel times, etc.
• Ability to add or configure promotional codes. 
• Commitment to integrate with existing or future authority applications that provide customer facing operations scheduling information, such as fixed route CAD/AVL, other av, on-demand, and or demand response services. (Integration is not required during the pilot period) 
• Integrate fare payment function with, authority fare payment vendor or provide a fare payment solution.
• Offer multiple journey types that include a mix of micro transit, fixed routes services, shared mobility services, and walking. 
• An ai customer service interface to help with scheduling and call answering/forwarding. 
• Other ai capabilities will be considered
3. Software - administrator dashboard / portal
ability to schedule rides in advance.
• Ability to add, edit, and cancel rides in real time.
• Ability to waive fare.
• Ability to create role-based users.  4. Software - passenger-facing application
• Application must be android or iOS compatible.
• Allow users to search for, schedule, and pay for rides in real time.
• Ability to indicate use of a mobility assistance device.
• Ability to enter place names as well as addresses.
• Notification of an invalid trip request.
• Availability of trip updates via text or email.
• Display current vehicle capacity.
• Real time AVL display of on-demand vehicle. (Integrate fixed route real time information as well)
• Password or username recovery option.
• Multiple language selection options. (Use device primary language as language setting.)
• Ability to indicate special space requirements (bike, stroller, etc.)
• Ability for rider to contact driver via anonymized phone number.
• Option for service update messages to riders.
• Would like the ability to identify client as act and any special load-time adjustments.
5. Software - driver-facing application
• Ability to note that fare has been paid.
• Ability for driver to enable or disable vehicle to take trip requests.
• Ability to contact rider via anonymized phone number if rider is not present at pick-up location.
• Turn by turn directions.
• Ability to annotate no-shows.
• Displays driver eta based on current road conditions
6. Software - data reporting requirements
• Allow on-demand access to ridership, financial, and performance data.
• Ability to export data as .csv format.
• Ability to capture onboarding and offboarding by time and location.
7. Software - ride booking
• A consumer-facing smartphone application for a fully automated scheduling, dispatching and reserving demand responsive transit service.
• Ability to add additional number of passengers during the trip booking by the rider.
• An alternative option that enables customers to book a trip without a smartphone or on behalf of another customer (including by caretakers for select customers with disabilities, as determined by authority).
• An intake system which is capable of intelligently pooling customer pick-ups and drop-offs
• Ability to transport minors traveling with or without an adult as per authority policies.
• Must have a partner portal (interface) that allows partner agencies to book trips on behalf of their clients
8. Software - minimum trip characteristics
• Pooled rides of 1 to 6 (or more) passengers
• Ability by agency to set maximum wait time for pick up.
• Ability by agency to set maximum in-vehicle time for a passenger.
9. Software - routing
• A dynamic routing algorithm able to combine trips that generate pick-up and drop-off locations, as
well as vehicle routing.
• Ability to provide curb-to-curb service from the nearest accessible building entrance for select
customers with mobility difficulties (to be determined by authority).
• Ability to offer end to end micro transit journey or a journey that would include multiple modes to include but not limited to authority fixed route services, share mobility service, and/or walking.
• Ability to add passengers to a trip in progress by dispatch and driver.
• Ability to edit maximum time added based on reroute to pick-up passengers: customer experience is not more than 5 minutes different from the quoted time.
10. Software - passenger pick up and drop off
• Safety for all users (including bicyclists and pedestrians) should be prioritized in all passenger pick-up and drop-off locations.
• Customers to see pick-up and drop-off location and trip routing via smartphone app.
• If necessary, customers to communicate directly with driver to coordinate pick-up.
• Ability by agency to set maximum driver wait time for passenger pick up.
11. Software - fare collection and payment
• Fare structure should be able to accommodate customer-specific discounts (i.e., reduced fares for eligible customers, veterans, seniors, youth, etc.)
• Fare structure should accommodate multi-ride passes and transfer discounts utilized by customers for fixed-route services (transfers could be accommodated through a voucher system or alternative method proposed by the vendor).
• Payment to be verified/validated via smartphone or in reservation system once trip is complete.
• Ability to accept unbanked customers without access to debit or credit cards.
• Ability to integrate fare payment with authority account-based fare system, go pass (integration is not required during the pilot period).
12. Software - regulatory compliance, security, and privacy requirements
• Vendors are responsible to ensure the software solution meets federal, state, and local laws.
• Cloud-based solutions will need to utilize single sign on and multifactor authentication.
• Vendors must discuss data security.
- Contract Period/Term: 3 years
- Pre-Proposal Meeting Date: June 25, 2025
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: July 11, 2025