Case Study: Montachusett Area Regional Transit Authority boosts ridership and lowers NEMT costs with QRyde

Self-sustaining Microtransit model allowing integration of Non-Emergency Medical Transportation, workforce, and on- demand trips via web portal or app

Montachusett Area Regional Transit Authority (MART) in Fitchburg, MA needed to increase ridership using a small 2–3 vehicle (14–18 seat) fleet while addressing no empty seats during peak hours, scheduling and dispatch complexity, and low shared ridership. MART partnered with QRyde and deployed QRyde’s web portal and app (backed by its Global Scheduling Engine) for booking, scheduling and dispatch.

QRyde implemented a self‑sustaining microtransit model that reserved half the seats for recurring NEMT, workforce and paratransit trips and opened remaining seats for on‑demand bookings by priority populations; QRyde’s GSE combined funding sources to increase shared rides and reduce per‑trip cost. The project produced measurable gains: trip requests rose 5% (350 trips) in nine months, passengers per vehicle hour reached 4.6 (+31%), NEMT per‑trip cost dropped below competitors’ average fares, and general‑public rides tripled in July 2020, delivering clear community and economic benefits.

Montachusett Area Regional Transit Authority