Future of Paratransit
In January 2010, the Metro Council of Saint Paul, Minnesota warned that Paratransit ridership "may grow by as much as 6% per year for the next 10 years". Paratransit ridership growth of more than 10% per year was reported in the District of Columbia metropolitan area for 2006 through 2009, a trend that was expected to continue. In response to these trends, transit agencies serving Saint Paul, the Washington, D.C. area, and other cities have been implementing communication and computer technology to control costs and improve service.
Intelligent transportation systems technologies, primarily GPS, mobile data terminals, digital mobile radios, and cell phones, and scheduling, dispatching and call reservation software are now in use increasingly in North America and Europe. These systems are replacing formerly manual processes with automation that is already in widespread use by the trucking industry. Interactive voice response systems are the next technology innovation anticipated for Paratransit services.
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