On July 1, the MBTA launched the RIDE Flex, offering all customers of the MBTA RIDE the chance to sign up for subsidized, same-day trips on Lyft or Uber. When signing up, customers select whether they prefer Lyft or Uber and are then assigned a monthly allocation of subsidized trips based on past ridership usage. Riders will pay $3 per trip, and then the MBTA will subsidize up to $40; if the total cost is over $43, the rider pays the balance. Subsidized rides are available within The RIDE service area, during The RIDE’s service hours. Flex customers remain fully eligible for The RIDE and can use the standard service in addition to the on-demand option.

Seeking to improve customer options while also reducing the overall cost of providing the service, The RIDE began experimenting with subsidized Uber and Lyft trips in 2016, when it first launched the On-Demand Paratransit Pilot (ODPP). In developing The RIDE Flex, the MBTA sought to build on the successes of ODPP while also making improvements based on lessons learned. For example, the RIDE Flex requires both Lyft and Uber to offer a phone option for riders without smartphones (under ODPP, only Lyft offered a call center). As the most common request the MBTA received from ODPP riders was to increase their monthly allocation of trips, the MBTA took the opportunity to reevaluate each rider’s allocation in launching RIDE Flex. No rider saw their trips decrease, but some riders received an increased number of trips, based on a combined metric looking at ridership both during and before the pandemic. Under the RIDE Flex, the MBTA will be able to reevaluate trip allocations more often than under ODPP.

Building on the success of another past pilot initiative, the RIDE Flex contract also provides an incentive for Uber and Lyft to offer wheelchair-accessible vehicles on their platform in The RIDE service area (open to non-RIDE customers as well as RIDE customers, but in all cases only for riders who use wheelchairs). The RIDE Flex also builds on the MBTA’s previous Provider Options Pilot, allowing the MBTA to integrate additional service providers into the standard RIDE service.

The advisory committee that oversaw the development of The RIDE Flex program included a member of R-TAG, the MBTA’s group for riders interested in issues affecting older adults and people with disabilities. David Hatch, Manager of Innovation and Analysis at the MBTA, strongly recommends this approach to other agencies looking to develop similar programs: “Get your advocacy groups involved early and often. Ultimately, your program is only good if your customers want it.”

On June 10, the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC) presented its annual Transportation Planning Award to the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation (QVCDC) in recognition of the achievements of the Quaboag Connector. Operated by QVCDC and the Town of Ware, the Quaboag Connector provides transportation in a rural, nine-town region between Worcester and Springfield. Since its launch in January 2017, it has offered a demand-response service open to older adults, people with disabilities, and the general public. With funding from a Synergy grant from the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, the Connector is currently preparing to pilot a fixed-route shuttle to expand its services.

Sujatha Krishnan, CMPRC Deputy Director, praised the Connector’s achievements: “We’ve been involved with the Quaboag Connector, and we see it as a model for rural transit in the state and in our region. And they’ve been constantly pushing the envelope little by little. It’s not the same Quaboag Connector as it was four years ago.”

Participatory walk audits are a key tool WalkBoston uses to assist communities across Massachusetts in becoming more walkable. In a traditional walk audit, WalkBoston staff engage municipal officials, residents, and other interested stakeholders in learning about pedestrian safety and walkability, and then the group walks together on a nearby road or neighborhood to observe what features make walking feel comfortable or unpleasant and safe or dangerous. Staff then compile the observations and develop a set of recommendations for the community. These walk audits allow WalkBoston to expand community capacity to understand and promote walkability, and also ensure that recommendations are informed by the local community. However, the onset of the pandemic in early 2020 forced WalkBoston to revisit its in-person walk audits and develop new strategies.

WalkBoston initially paused its walk audits to reflect and strategize. In fall of 2020, they piloted virtual walk audits. One session became three: an initial Zoom meeting for staff to introduce the concept of walkability and explain how to do a walk audit, then a two-week break during which participants were encouraged to do the walk audit on their own and submit their observations to staff, and finally another Zoom discussion where staff shared the findings and engaged participants in reflecting and discussing next steps. As the state began to reopen in spring 2021, WalkBoston reintegrated an in-person component to their walk audits. They maintained the three-part virtual structure, but added an optional group walk so that participants could choose to either do the walk audit with others or do it on their own, and they made the Zoom components optional to facilitate participation from people less comfortable with technology. WalkBoston has also expanded their language access through strategies such as Spanish-language focus groups and making translated materials available online.

As a result of these changes, more people are participating in walk audits now than before the pandemic, and WalkBoston has been able to engage a more diverse set of participants. “A lot more people can participate on their own time, and we’ve also heard from some that they appreciate being able to do the walk at their own pace,” shares Ayesha Mehrotra, Program Associate at WalkBoston. “The information we gather is also richer in some ways because participants are able to share so much more – more photos, more individual reactions – and the observations are more dynamic because people are walking at different times of day and under different weather conditions,” adds Mehrotra.

Check out WalkBoston’s resources to learn more about walkable communities.

Reflecting on how aspects of our identities affect our travel patterns and our experience of transportation, Luli Lobos Martínez wondered – what about gender? “We all have different needs, and we need to understand them so we can include them in transportation planning and policy,” emphasizes Lobos Martínez. LivableStreets Alliance, where Lobos Martínez serves as Emerald Network Mobility and Environmental Systems Analyst, agreed to take on the project and – with support from the Sasaki Foundation and the Tisch College Community Research Center – partnered with urban geographer and Tufts faculty member Dr. Rebecca Shakespeare.

LivableStreets decided to focus the research on two corridors where they were already working in Boston: Tremont Street and Columbia Road. In studying gender, the research team agreed to look at gender identity, gender expression, and gender roles and actively seek out participation from transgender, non-binary, and gender expansive people. Working closely with Lobos Martínez, Shakespeare designed a four-pronged approach combining distinct qualitative methods in an innovative way: brief street interviews with passers-by to discuss their gender, their transportation, and their experience; an online participatory map where people could note their experiences and ideas for specific locations; a longer survey; and follow-up conversations with survey respondents.

Prior to launching the project, Lobos Martínez hired local LGBTQ organizations to train LivableStreets staff and Tufts research team members. LivableStreets included that content when training this year’s group of Street Ambassadors – community members LivableStreets hires to engage passers-by in talking about transportation and mobility in key corridors of interest. In June, Street Ambassadors began their shifts on Tremont Street and Columbia Road, engaging people in brief conversations about what makes a street feel comfortable for them and how that relates to gender identity. The participatory online map also went live in June, while the rest of the research will roll out later this summer.

Aging services staff and volunteers are invited to get involved in CarFit, a joint initiative of AAA, AARP, and the American Occupational Therapy Association to promote older driver safety and mobility by assisting drivers in understanding how they fit in their vehicles and making adjustments to improve comfort and safety. During CarFit events, drivers have a 20-30 minute session with a trained technician and an occupational therapy practitioner. As Massachusetts reopens and as residents of all ages start to increase their trip-taking, we want to make sure everyone is driving as safely as possible, and CarFit is one easy way to do that – but in order to offer CarFit events throughout Massachusetts, we need you! Sign up to become an event coordinator so you can host your own events, get trained to serve as the technician who assesses fit, or host an event or training in your space. For more information about CarFit, check out their website and brochure. Then visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/CarFitMA to get involved!

Apply for a grant from the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center to develop a transportation action plan focusing on increasing diversity or reducing social isolation, or apply for funds from MassCEC to pilot an equity-focused transportation pilot to reduce greenhouse gases. Learn more about these and other opportunities on our funding webpage.

MArtap is now accepting hosting requests for all driver training classes for the Fall 2021 training schedule. Hosting requests will be accepted for October 2021 onward. The in-person driver training classes will be conducted in locations throughout the state that can accommodate COVID-19 safety precautions. If your agency is interested in hosting, please fill out a request form. Host agencies can reserve up to 5 slots for their own drivers.

Looking for some compelling reading on your beach vacation? Check out these new reports:

Consider a transportation theme for your next movie night:

The National Aging and Disability Transportation Center is hiring a Training and Technical Assistance Specialist to work remotely.

The Massachusetts Public Health Association is hiring a Part-Time Central and Western Massachusetts Campaign Coordinator to work on a Transit Justice & Stable Neighborhoods campaign.

Many transportation companies that provide human service trips are hiring. If you are interested in applying to drive or serve as a monitor to help consumers access key health and social services, check out these opportunities.

For up-to-date information about a particular transportation service, please contact the transportation provider directly. Please keep in mind that face coverings are still mandatory on public and private transportation systems.

Transportation and vaccine access:

Vaccine and vaccine outreach information:

Information from state health and human services agencies:

National resources related to transportation and COVID-19:

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