United States Department of Transportation
i
EASYRIDE: Specialized Transportation Service in New York City (Phase II Report)
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1984-03-01
[PDF-4.83 MB]
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Abstract:The EASYRIDE demonstration involved a door-to-door specialized transportation system which served elderly and handicapped residents of the Lower East and West Sides of Manhattan. The demonstration, operated under the auspices of the non-profit Vera Institute of Justice, began in June 1977, and ran through March 1982. This final report covers the period from July 1979 through the end of the demonstration. During the course of the demonstration, EASYRIDE evolved into an 18-vehicle operation providing as many as 7300 trips per month. EASYRIDE successfully secured a broad array of grants, service contracts, and private contributions for a total revenue base in excess of $800,000 per year. In developing this mix of funding, EASYRIDE was able to offer a multi-purpose service with minimal restrictions on "mixing" riders. During the period covered by this report, EASYRIDE instituted three major changes: 1) In May 1980 EASYRIDE installed two-way radios in all vehicles; this contributed to improved productivity through the reduction of deadheading and vehicle dead time. 2) In the summer of 1980 EASYRIDE automated much of its record-keeping and scheduling procedures, thereby improving the efficiency and accuracy of these processes. 3) Finally, in the Fall of that year EASYRIDE expanded its service area into the Lower West Side of Manhattan, thereby increasing its overall ridership substantially. Following these changes, EASYRIDE's cost per trip dropped significantly: the average figure for the fiscal year preceding the improvements (1979-80) was $15.36 per trip, while the subsequent year's average figure was $12.36 per trip. The average cost per trip for the final three years was $12.84. The average monthly ridership for the three-year period was 5704; nearly 18% of these trips originated in the West Side, 73% in the East Side, and the remainder in other parts of New York City. The average productivity for the first year of the report period was under 3.8 trips per driver hour; this improved to over 5.0 in the last year. Over the course of the demonstration, EASYRIDE provided a high quality--though rather high cost--specialized services that was valued highly by users, community groups, funding agencies, and city officials. As the demonstration ended, EASYRIDE was making renewed efforts to secure new sources of funding so as to continue to provide this service.
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