January 22, 2025 • 29 mins
Ned Freeman joins host Paul Comfort to talk about UZURV and how it's changing how paratransit is delivered in the U.S. UZURV is an adaptive Transportation Network Company (TNC) that gives transit agencies more options for delivering paratransit in their communities. Ned and Paul talk about how UZURV uses its technology to offer on-demand, ADA compliant, and cost-effective paratransit solutions. UZURV’s model combines the flexibility of solutions like Uber, with all the regulatory rigor of an internal solution.
You can learn more about UZURV on their website https://uzurv.com/
Coming up next week, we have the third of five episodes Paul recorded while visiting Australia. This week we feature just a few of the amazing women leading public transit in Australia and joining Paul, special co-host Kelly Chapman.
00:00 Why Paratransit Matters
00:19 Evolution of Paratransit Services
01:38 Interview with Ned Freeman, CEO of UZURV
01:49 Challenges and Innovations in Paratransit
04:29 UZURV's Role and Impact
20:42 Future of Paratransit
23:47 Ned Freeman's Background and UZURV's Team
28:11 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
28:34 Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
Most of you who listen tothis podcast know that I am
passionate about paratransit.
I'm Paul Comfort and on this episode ofTransit Unplugged we're going to take you
to the cutting edge of how paratransitservice is adapting in the United States.
When the Americans with DisabilitiesAct was passed in 1990, I was already
involved in providing paratransit in asmall county where I lived, and then the
(00:27):
new rules came in place which specifiedhow the service was to be provided.
A lot of transit agencies did itdirectly with their own companies,
vehicles, their own agency vehicles.
Then many of them, most of them now,contract that out, and now there's even
a third iteration of how the service isbeing provided, and that's through TNCs.
Companies like Uber and Lyft, aresupplementing also what taxicab
(00:48):
providers have done in the pastthrough rider's choice programs.
we recently had on some folks talkingabout paratransit and how they're
using those type of companies.
And today we're going to talk to theCEO of one of the adaptive TNCs, one of
the leading ones, and that is UZURV NedFreeman is the new CEO, having recently
taken over the reins from John Donlon.
He's going to unpack how it works.
(01:09):
How do these adaptive TNCs actually work?
How do they provide the service?
I think it'll be very interestingfor you who are considering what
the next iteration of service mightbe for your agency or you've seen
it operate in another agency andyou're wondering how it works.
Ned will explain it all, on thisepisode of Transit Unplugged.
Enjoy.
(01:31):
This is Transit Unplugged.
I'm Paul Comfort.
Great to be with you on anotheredition of the world's leading
transit executive podcast.
Today, I'm excited to have with usmy friend Ned Freeman, who is CEO
of the company UZURV, talking tome today from Richmond, Virginia.
Ned, thanks for joining us..
Hey, Paul.
Thank you.
Thanks for having us on.
So today, Ned and I, we're going todive into the role of paratransit in
(01:53):
America and, how it helps people, withdisabilities really achieve mobility
that they could not have otherwise.
And then some of the latesttrends over the last decade.
And I'm here to talk about the workthat we've done over the past decade
that have really helped transit agenciesfulfill not only their legal mandate
but the moral and even if you might sayspiritual mandate of the ADA, which is
to help people, to really make sure thatpeople with disabilities have that full
(02:18):
access to all of life's opportunities,which was, I know, Senator Bob Dole's
goal back in 1990 and all the folksthat were involved in passing the
Americans with Disabilities Act here.
And Ned, you know, my background,most people, listeners to the podcast
know of I've been listening fora while, but I'm passionate about
what we in America call paratransit.
What they in Australia and England andother places call on demand transit.
(02:41):
And I know you're passionateabout that too, aren't you?
I am.
Absolutely.
Listen, mobility independence isfor everyone, not just the bus.
We could get out to a curb orget to a vehicle on our own.
everybody.
And it's one in fourpeople every single day.
You know that as well as I do.
One in four people every singleday here in the United States.
They just can't get wherethey need to go on their own.
They just want to go work.
(03:02):
They want to go play.
They want to go see theirfriends, see a movie.
And the goal here is to make thatnormal so that it just works.
Paratransit is an opportunityfor public transit agencies and
for all of us to really changethe way, mobility independence.
And assisted transportation worksfor people who need help getting
where they don't want to go.
I was just talking to Veronica Vanterpool,last week, actually, for the podcast,
(03:26):
and, uh, she's the administrator of theFTA, the Federal Trans Administration.
We were talking about how they haveupdated and upgraded almost 100
stations across America over thelast four years, to be accessible.
And she said, you know, Paul, it's notjust for people that are in a wheelchair.
It could be you if you break your legin a skiing accident, and you need to
get somewhere, et cetera, et cetera, andI think that's something important to
(03:48):
remember that, you know, anything couldhappen to any of us, and, you know, I
think about my mom and dad when they weregetting older and, you know, This is why
I'm so passionate about it, Ned, and I'mso happy to have you on board today to
talk about how you're providing, really,an extra level of service, even beyond
what's required under the ADA, this curbto curb service that was required under
ADA, with seven, one to seven days inadvance notice, for those of you around
(04:12):
the world, that, that's what the ADArequires, the Americans with Disabilities
Act And so, this service also says thata person has to make a trip, reservation
one to seven days in advance, meaning theycan't a lot of times get same day service,
which is something that Ned's company ishelping us achieve better service for.
Ned, how is UZURV working tobegin with the end in mind?
(04:33):
To put the passenger first.
And then tell me somethingabout your company and its role
in the paratransit industry.
Sure.
So, how do we put the end in mind first?
You know, the outcome here, as Isaid, before, Paul, the outcome here
is finding a way that independentmobility just feels normal for everyone.
And so my mother, who's about to turn 80,I'm looking forward to a trip with her
(04:56):
and my sister going off to celebrate that.
my immediate family, I've got folks withboth visible and invisible disabilities.
So, for people who need assistance withmobility, you could have a disability,
you could be an older adult, whereit, you just need help getting to the
vehicle or to the public transit stationto take advantage of this system.
(05:18):
And as you know, within threequarter miles of any fixed route
system, paratransit is there.
And so, as a public agency, what,what you're trying to do is, set up
the opportunity for an equal level ofservice, equivalent level of service
for the riders in your community.
What UZURV does, is work with publictransit agencies as a non dedicated
(05:39):
service provider in paratransit.
So what does that mean?
our Adaptive Transportation NetworkCompany, so an Adaptive Transportation
Network Company is a TNC model, but ourtechnology really governs and, makes sure
that the service provision can meet allof the federal, FTA included, state, and
(06:00):
and local requirements for compliance.
So, you can operate a TNC modelthat is FTA, drug and alcohol, pre
service and random testing compliant.
You can use that as a tool in your toolboxas a public transit agency to complement
your fixed assets, your paratransitfleet, your drivers, to help make your
(06:21):
system more efficient where it's tough.
You know, paratransit's hard.
It really is.
It's not easy.
There are a lot of thingsthat change on any given day.
One weather event, one road closed,and things kind of get out of whack.
So, what you need is a nimble and flexibletool that can be a part of that system
on a daily basis that can help you adapt.
And shift to the needs ofthe system on any given day.
(06:45):
And that means a lot of people getwhere they need to go to their medical
appointments, to the movies, ifthey want to go see their friends.
You know, a lot of times it's talked aboutas a cost, public transit, paratransit.
They're expensive.
The budgets are huge.
And we're all facing this operatingfiscal cliff coming up soon as
a nation and as an industry.
And that it's true.
(07:06):
You have to spend a significant amountof money to operate the service.
But the value that is created inour communities, the people who are
getting where they need to go, thejobs, the opportunity to get to the
medical appointments, to be free.
You know, there's tremendous value inpublic transit and what the industry
offers, and, you know, we're proud to bea part of it, You know, what we really
(07:27):
do is let agencies provide really highquality paratransit service at a cost
that is about 45 percent of the typicaloperating cost per trip per mile.
you know, we've beenable to sort of see that.
We're in about 15 states now, about 20different markets, have a number of,
different programs that we operate.
(07:47):
And, consistently, through federalreporting and data, you see a lot of
cost savings, you see 98 percent on timeperformance every single day, across
millions of trips, and it's, it's reallybeen rewarding to be a part of it.
That's great, Ned.
I know when I was at WMATA, we didn'thave companies like your company at that
time when I was running paratransit there.
(08:08):
And so we had to get taxi companiesto have their drivers drug tested, you
know, background checked, and then theywould opt into a program where then we
could use them as overflow, basically.
So is that how it works, Ned?
Are you guys in most Markets, companieslike yours, basically helping do the
overflow service for paratransit, thelonger trips, the late night trips,
(08:30):
or are you integrated in everywhere?
Or is it different inevery market, I guess?
Is it okay to start acomment with a cliche?
Yeah, sure.
As you know, with, and I probablyheard it from you first on the podcast,
when you've come across one publictransit agency, you've come across,
across one public transit agency.
They are all different andthere are good reasons for that.
Every community is different.
(08:50):
Every set of needs, everysort of governing structure.
And so what, what you find is that,you know, the, we work both directly
with public transit agencies,as a, as a contractor for them.
We also work a lot with the nationaltransit management companies as a
subcontractor to the prime who areoperating the paratransit systems.
we work on every major technologyplatform or operating system.
(09:13):
Very interesting.
It's so unique.
model, and, and set of parameters.
And so we have agencies where we are asmuch as 80 percent of the ambulatory,
so the non wheelchair accessiblevehicle, paratransit on a daily basis.
they emphasize using their fixedassets to make sure that the wheelchair
accessible vehicle, transportation in thatcommunity is exceptionally well served.
(09:35):
And we have places where we are, you know,a smaller percentage, usually, you know,
maybe sometimes 10, 15 percent of service.
It's interesting.
So, the model itself, TNC, for those whoaren't familiar with the terminology,
means Transport Networking Company,and it's kind of a, overall, the
nomenclature we use to talk aboutall these companies that are working
similar, where you basically hire peoplewho are driving their own car, right?
(09:57):
And then what happens?
So how does all that work?
It kind of, if you don't mind,unpack that a little bit for me.
How does all that work?
Let's say I wanted to be, youknow, I live near Baltimore.
Maybe I'm a school bus driver and I drivemornings and afternoons and I want to
drive during the three or four hours inthe middle of the day to make some money.
How does all that work, Ned?
You bet.
So a transportation network companyis a technology platform that lets
(10:19):
independent contractors performservice and, on the platform.
And so our public transit agenciescontract with UZURV to place their trips,
their rides, for their riders needs.
For their eligible riders on theUZURV platform and UZURV's platform,
then it's a marketplace business.
(10:40):
Does that make sense?
You've got rides on one side andyou've got providers on the other.
And so the, the providers who join userare people who've learned about this
opportunity to earn good money, doinggood, people who live in Baltimore,
for example, and, learn, hey, I havethis opportunity where I can help
people with disabilities or olderadults get where they need to go.
UZURV gets out there in the market andlets people know that we're available.
(11:04):
A driver downloads our application.
They go through an onboarding process,at which time they kind of prove that
they are legal to drive, that they areinsured, that they have the necessary
requirements and understanding of howto assist people with disabilities.
It's an extensive onboarding process thatis really unique to UZURV to be honest.
every TNC has onboardingand background checks.
(11:26):
What we've done is build a set ofbackground and compliance, oversight
and technology on the platform tomake sure that every single person
who arrives to provide service as acontractor on the platform knows what
to do, how to do it, and how to servepeople, how to ask the right question.
So you provide training to all them?
You know, Paul, that's, it's a,it's an interesting question.
(11:48):
Our technology platform makes surethat the drivers who are on the
platform, have the training that theyneed to do the service correctly.
And it is an extensive set of requirementsthat meet all of those federal, local,
state, the contractual requirements.
I mean, we all know how importantit is to make sure, you know how
(12:10):
to do the right things for everysingle rider on the platform.
Every rider has a unique set of needs.
Every rider has a uniqueset of preferences.
How do you make sure people aretreated, fairly, well, and, taken
care of appropriately on the platform?
And that, and that's what, that'swhat our onboarding process does.
It makes sure that every singlecontractor on the platform is able
to do that effectively and well.
(12:30):
And all this is, FTA compliant?
You know, do they have lotsof rules about all this?
Absolutely.
Yes, we've been a part of multipleaudits with our agency partners and
the transit management companies.
We have passed with, strong,exceptional results throughout the
process and, we, you know, it, we'veworked closely with, the FTA and
some of their contractors over time.
Yeah, those requirementswere written many years ago.
(12:52):
I mean, you're aware there's a newconversation kind of trying to clarify.
for the industry, the role thatTNCs play in how the FTA drug and
alcohol testing requirements apply.
it's really important.
You know, you, you can have lower cost,high quality service in a TMC model
without sacrificing safety and compliance.
(13:13):
You really can.
Paul.
Yeah, you know, it, it's, the funnything is if you're an agency or a
transit management operating company,and you had UZURV in your service mix
as a non dedicated service provider,and you're operating your fixed assets
and your fleet, and you're doing allthe things you do as best, as well
as you can, and you're doing a greatjob in your community, what kind of
(13:35):
trips are you sending to UZURV, Paul?
Are you sending us the easy ones?
Are you sending us thechallenging ones around the edge?
And I think that's, what's reallyimportant despite the fact that the
selection bias is the, the, the typesof trips and the systemic issues and
the peak hours and all of that cometo UZURV we've been able to deliver
98 percent on time performance ina 15 minute window, 15 minutes.
(13:58):
We pulled ourselves to anextremely high standard.
Quality first.
When I think about the rider experienceand measuring that in your community,
you know, we, we use net promoter score.
We use a different set ofcustomer satisfaction metrics.
We actually just did a study with yourfriends at TransPro and had them conduct
an independent survey across eightdifferent of our clients and partners.
(14:20):
Assessing the rider satisfaction of,paratransit and UZURV and came out with
an exceptional rider satisfaction score.
I looked at that study.
Yeah, I love Mark Ash, bythe way, does great work.
But yeah, yeah, yournumbers were awesome, man.
The other thing I like about, thismodel of having contractors and then
this TNC model assist them is, youknow, coming out of the pandemic, I
(14:43):
remember a couple of years ago, andhopefully that's the last time I ever
say that in an interview, because we'retrying to get away from saying that.
But I remember having a conversationwith another buddy of mine who
has a similar company of yours.
His name is Jeff Maltz.
He has a company called Silveride.
It's not the same thing, but similar.
And he said, Paul, the differenceis, you know, everybody was
having trouble getting drivers.
You know, he said, there is a differenttype of person that doesn't want to go
(15:04):
and do an eight hour shift in a uniform,come in and drive somebody else's
vehicle, drive to the yard, get in avehicle, go out eight hours and come back.
Versus Aunt Susan, who wants to workfor three hours when her child is in
daycare in the morning or in preschool.
She wants to go out, like I mentionedearlier, in her car, station wagon,
whatever, Volvo, and go out andmake a little money and help people.
(15:25):
It's something that makes her feel good.
So, I like that.
It attracts almost the user baseof your drivers, contractors It's
kind of a different group of peoplemaybe than would be attracted to a
full eight hour day that some peoplejust can't do or don't want to do.
It's definitely, one of the pieces, peoplelike independence and people like control.
(15:46):
And so, When you have the opportunityto do something that's really rewarding,
both, in a community service, inan emotional context, but also
pays well, it's nice to have that.
And independence and flexibility isone of the things that our providers
on the platform, our drivers, tellus is really important to them.
you know, we, we're in this uniqueposition where, because our technology
(16:09):
and our, operating model can be highlyefficient and are highly efficient in
comparison to traditional operatingmetrics, there's value that we can create
For our transit agency partners, ourtransit management partners, there's also
value that we are creating for our riders.
The experience, the time on board, thereliability of service, the timeliness
(16:34):
of that service, and also for ourproviders, the drivers on the platform.
It is really important to us thatevery single person In this sort of
community of what's involved on the userplatform is getting value out of it.
And there are very few businesseswhere somebody doesn't have to try
to squeeze something to get ahead.
And we don't.
The efficiency and the quality ofthe model allows us to make sure our
(16:57):
drivers are taken care of, the ridersare getting a great experience, and
the agencies are saving money andgetting better performance metrics.
It's a great, it's a great model.
Yeah.
Number one, oh, I'm sorry, butlet me just tell you one more.
Yeah,
sure.
The number one complaint fromuser of drivers is that I
wish I could do more of this.
You know, we don't alwayshave as many trips as someone
might want in a given market.
So it's always that constant balanceof supply and demand to make sure we're
(17:19):
keeping our performance metrics andtrying to, and we got a lot of work to
do to continue to grow and build on that.
Yeah, it's really importantto us that everybody receives
the value in the system.
That's amazing.
I, you know, Ron Brooks, you can'treally talk about paratransit in
America without bringing Ron Brooksinto it one of the leading, advocates,
good friend of both of ours.
and, he wrote a chapter, actually chapter11 in my recent book, New Future of
(17:40):
Public Transportation, where he talksabout, you know, Kind of how paratransit
got started in America, but also whereit's going, and gives a view of, you
know, moving to more on demand tripsfrom these pre scheduled and, the kind of
things you and I have been talking about.
And I really see, over the decades, soI've been involved in this now, this is
my fourth decade involved in paratransitand in fixed route transit, I've
(18:02):
seen an evolution Of how this worked.
When paratransit first, Igot into it before 1990.
I started 1987 and we didn't haveADA, we made up our own rules.
We bought our own vehicles.
We, but our job when I started wasto take people to senior centers
and doctors and the elderly folksand people with disabilities.
And then we had this, these rule-basedthing come in where everybody
(18:23):
bought certain types of vehiclesand it was under a certain model.
And then we had.
The rise of contractors, and I work formost of the major contractors, at the
time there were companies like Laidlaw,and Yellow Transportation, and then, and
MV, and then they all got consolidated.
The market changed, but contractorscame out and really specialized in this.
They're the contractors that theycontract with subcontractors like
(18:44):
UZURV or agencies do it directly.
And so this to me is the nextflexible iteration of service.
And there's other models too, right?
We know that Uber and Lyft don'thave direct ADA, but they're doing
rider's choice programs, which iskind of a different iteration of this.
So, there's lots of still, there's lotsof, exploration in the market, and I think
(19:06):
with the new Trump Administration comingin, we'll see what the next iteration will
be, because you know, I believe there'sgoing to be big changes foisted on the
industry, you know, the, the pocketbook'salways there, right, and so they're going
to say, here's how we want things to go,and it may be slightly different than
we've had, so there'll be, the abilityto adapt, is, is key, I think, for
this industry, but I love the fact thatwe all have the end customer in mind.
(19:29):
That's absolutely right.
Look, operating service is challenging.
Operating service is expensive.
And when you can find a toolthat you can add to the toolbox,
there's no panacea for any of this.
It's actually just really difficult tomove a lot of people around the community.
that's why we have an industry.
It's, it is really important to addthe tools to your toolbox that allow
(19:49):
you to have that layer of flexibilitythat you were talking about.
And look, there's a, there's aplace in the world for all different
types of businesses and services.
And so what we care about.
is that when it comes to people withdisabilities and older adults who
have specific needs, who have specificpreferences for how they get around, that
we make sure they're taken care of and youhave the right people getting to and fro.
(20:10):
You know, you talk about the riderchoice programs, you talk about
the different modes of service.
I think they're great.
You know, I really do.
What I do think is incrediblyimportant is that for the people
who need assistance, you know, thepeople for whom these regulations were
originally crafted to make sure theyhad the same access as everyone else.
(20:32):
And had the same amount of flexibilityand operating advantages that you can
have with some of these more flexiblemodels, such as our adaptive TNC model.
That's a great segue really to thelast segment of the podcast, Ned,
is let's take a look at the future.
what you see coming from yourperspective, what do you believe the
industry can do to improve, paratransit?
(20:53):
You started off with the term, I believeyou said in Australia, Australia,
they call it on demand transit.
That's right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's what it should be.
I think in the same way that I can getin a vehicle, or you can hop on the bus,
or I can get to a, whatever, in that sameway, the access to me being able to have
(21:14):
the independent mobility and the agencyfor myself, regardless of disability,
regardless of age, regardless of needfor assistance, That I have that agency,
that I can just get where I need to go.
There is so much unlocked value inour communities, job, workforce.
Medical benefits, healthcare, justemotional benefits for people being able
(21:35):
to get out and get where they need to go.
And I hope, I hope I'm not beatingthat drum too much, but what I see
is bringing into the mix of the fixedroute, these, you know, I love all of the
improvements that we've had in, buildingout more accessible fixed route service.
Yes.
Right.
really kind of.
Developing seamless transitions foreveryone throughout the network.
(21:58):
It's, it's, it's really important,to have all the tools and to
recognize all the people's needs.
In that process and just, youknow, build that toolbox out.
There's not one answerfor any given community.
Absolutely.
Do you see any other things on thehorizon in the future when it comes to
providing paratransit, you know, howtransit agencies can adjust their approach
(22:20):
to improving transit, paratransit?
I, you know, I think you continueto look at your technology stack
and the way that you're integrated.
you know, I, I think that there,there are some great systems out
there and, you know, they're allvery unique in how they're applied.
you know, you want your smartpeople on your staff able to
do the most important things.
And so, continuing to build on thetechnology stacks, really kind of
(22:43):
think about the tools in the toolboxthat make it easier to manage
the things that have been hard.
You know, it's, it's, continuingto, you know, you mentioned
Ron Brooks and Kristen Joyner.
I know they were on the podcast.
I enjoyed that, by the way.
It was great job.
yeah, they have a new book out.
We should, we should promote it.
a new book about, about all this.
Yeah.
All aboard.
Yes.
All aboard.
And, you know, it promotes itselfbecause it, it, one of the things that
(23:04):
I think we're, and Eileen Collins,another one of your guests is a, is
a really great advocate for this.
Listening in the community in differentand new ways and making sure you're
hearing the voices in a powerful wayand really incorporating that feedback.
when people can influenceeffectively the direction of
things, it really makes a difference
. Absolutely.
(23:24):
You know, I'm friends with John Donlon,the founder of UZURV, who recently
turned the reins over to you and istaking the role of president there.
Wonderful man.
He actually came to, I met him when hecame to my first book signing for the
book, The Future of Public Transportation,which was, in March of 20 with whatever
year it was when all this kicked in.
but, I love the, kind of hishistory and his background.
(23:47):
I'd like to hear a littlebit about yours, Ned.
How did you get into this business?
I mean, you're a very tactical, handson, you've kind of built this company.
You're the guy that was operatingthe day to day behind the scenes.
So tell me about your background and whatskill sets you brought to the table and
what made you interested in doing this?
Well, Paul, I am a, graduatedfrom college with a liberal arts
degree and no practical skills.
(24:09):
So, managed to find my way to becominga writer originally, a copywriter,
and I helped build a company, that,that, kind of rebuilt how college and
university student recruitment was done.
And it was this great journey of seeinga company, go from being a small,
unique, high quality product into thisgreat, large, wonderful thing that
became a, sort of a national presence.
(24:30):
spent some time, in strategy rolesand operations, marketing there.
I did my tour of duty in Fortune100 financial services, learning a
lot about brand strategy and how areally big enterprise is well managed.
And then I got that itch to go backand start building companies again.
So I live in Richmond, Virginia,which by the way, I think I mentioned,
(24:53):
I don't know if I mentioned, we'vebeen without water for four days,
which has been an interestingadventure here in the, in the network.
Now that's why the dark behind me here,cause buildings, but, we, so, as I
kind of wrapping up that time in, brandand fortune 100, I wanted to find.
something to build again.
And I met John.
And, you know, John's one of these,wonderful, caring human beings who
(25:16):
found this company, UZURV, and wasa part of really learning about
all these needs in paratransit andapplying what our technology platform
could do, to, to, to what's possible.
And we've just continued to learn what'sreally unique about UZURV in this case.
and I'll come back to, to sortof the, the, the course here.
(25:36):
We have been operating service andbuilding the technology as we go to do it.
So everything we've built froma technology standpoint really
comes from real world, hardknocks experience of day to day.
How do you manage thesethings well and safely?
And that's the difference inUZURV And what's made us really
good at what we do and why ourperformance metrics are so high.
(25:58):
So that, that journey here, Icame here to help John launch.
we'd been, I think in Richmond was our,our, our home base was our first contract.
We were in Nashville.
We were in Jacksonville, Florida,but it was time to launch nationally.
And I began that journey withhim from a marketing standpoint.
A couple of years in became the COO.
built out the driver recruiting had,quite a pandemic period as we all did.
(26:18):
And, you know, we just, we foundour way and we've continued to
build, we have a great team, youknow, and the, the, the team and
the culture is what really matters.
And we're going to keep doing what we do.
Absolutely.
talking about your team, I'm,I'm, I know several of them.
Your IT director is such a sharp guy.
PhilBear, Phil has built thisplatform for the ground up.
(26:40):
With our Richmond, Virginia basedengineering team, small team really
punches above their weight, but he hasbuilt it from the ground up from the
get go, also a founder of the company.
to provide the, the compliance toprovide what you need to do paratransit
well, that's what it was designed for.
It's not another systembeing applied to paratransit.
(27:02):
This is a technology platform, anadaptive TNC platform that is built
specifically for paratransit and forassisting people with disabilities.
It's great.
I mean, the expertise with integrations.
The efficiency, thereliability of the platform.
I look, I've been a part of a lot ofdifferent companies that were growing.
I've seen a lot of bubblegumand duct tape over my time.
Never worked with a more professional,thoughtful, strategic, and caring group
(27:27):
of people in our engineering team.
And that goes across the board from our,from our sales people who are actually,
yeah, they're in sales and businessdevelopment, but you know, our, our EVP
of business development, John Duncan, heactually really cares about seeing these
agencies truly get where they want to go.
It's great.
I mean, it's just, every singleperson here has their own sort of
(27:47):
unique story about their person,their person in their lives who's
struggled to get where they need to go.
And it's very personal for all of us.
You know, there is no reasonthat it has to be difficult
to get where you want to go.
There's no reason why if youhave a service animal and you're
trying to get where you needto go, you get service denials.
That doesn't have to happen.
(28:08):
And, we want to see it
changed.
That's great.
Well, Ned, thank you so much forspending a few minutes with us today
on the podcast to talk about thisnext phase of evolution of the, of
how paratransit is offered in the U.
S.
market and is there any finalthoughts or any closing thoughts
you want to leave us with?
No,
Paul, you're
the best.
You know, keep this voice going.
(28:28):
I really appreciate hearing from allthe different leaders in paratransit.
Thank you, Ned.
Thank you, Paul.
Thank you for listening to this week'sepisode of Transit Unplugged with our
special guest, UZURV CEO, Ned Freeman.
Coming up next week, we have thethird of five shows that come from
Paul's recent visit to Australia.
(28:50):
In this episode, Paul was joined byspecial co host Kelly Chapman for
some interviews with just a few of theamazing women leading the way and making
a difference in transit in Australia.
.Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo.
At Modaxo, we're passionateabout moving the world's people.
And at Transit Unplugged, we'repassionate about telling those stories.
So until next week, ridesafe and ride happy.
Most of you who listen tothis podcast know that I am
passionate about paratransit.
I'm Paul Comfort and on this episode ofTransit Unplugged we're going to take you
to the cutting edge of how paratransitservice is adapting in the United States.
When the Americans with DisabilitiesAct was passed in 1990, I was already
involved in providing paratransit in asmall county where I lived, and then the
(00:27):
new rules came in place which specifiedhow the service was to be provided.
A lot of transit agencies did itdirectly with their own companies,
vehicles, their own agency vehicles.
Then many of them, most of them now,contract that out, and now there's even
a third iteration of how the service isbeing provided, and that's through TNCs.
Companies like Uber and Lyft, aresupplementing also what taxicab
(00:48):
providers have done in the pastthrough rider's choice programs.
we recently had on some folks talkingabout paratransit and how they're
using those type of companies.
And today we're going to talk to theCEO of one of the adaptive TNCs, one of
the leading ones, and that is UZURV NedFreeman is the new CEO, having recently
taken over the reins from John Donlon.
He's going to unpack how it works.
(01:09):
How do these adaptive TNCs actually work?
How do they provide the service?
I think it'll be very interestingfor you who are considering what
the next iteration of service mightbe for your agency or you've seen
it operate in another agency andyou're wondering how it works.
Ned will explain it all, on thisepisode of Transit Unplugged.
Enjoy.
(01:31):
This is Transit Unplugged.
I'm Paul Comfort.
Great to be with you on anotheredition of the world's leading
transit executive podcast.
Today, I'm excited to have with usmy friend Ned Freeman, who is CEO
of the company UZURV, talking tome today from Richmond, Virginia.
Ned, thanks for joining us..
Hey, Paul.
Thank you.
Thanks for having us on.
So today, Ned and I, we're going todive into the role of paratransit in
(01:53):
America and, how it helps people, withdisabilities really achieve mobility
that they could not have otherwise.
And then some of the latesttrends over the last decade.
And I'm here to talk about the workthat we've done over the past decade
that have really helped transit agenciesfulfill not only their legal mandate
but the moral and even if you might sayspiritual mandate of the ADA, which is
to help people, to really make sure thatpeople with disabilities have that full
(02:18):
access to all of life's opportunities,which was, I know, Senator Bob Dole's
goal back in 1990 and all the folksthat were involved in passing the
Americans with Disabilities Act here.
And Ned, you know, my background,most people, listeners to the podcast
know of I've been listening fora while, but I'm passionate about
what we in America call paratransit.
What they in Australia and England andother places call on demand transit.
(02:41):
And I know you're passionateabout that too, aren't you?
I am.
Absolutely.
Listen, mobility independence isfor everyone, not just the bus.
We could get out to a curb orget to a vehicle on our own.
everybody.
And it's one in fourpeople every single day.
You know that as well as I do.
One in four people every singleday here in the United States.
They just can't get wherethey need to go on their own.
They just want to go work.
(03:02):
They want to go play.
They want to go see theirfriends, see a movie.
And the goal here is to make thatnormal so that it just works.
Paratransit is an opportunityfor public transit agencies and
for all of us to really changethe way, mobility independence.
And assisted transportation worksfor people who need help getting
where they don't want to go.
I was just talking to Veronica Vanterpool,last week, actually, for the podcast,
(03:26):
and, uh, she's the administrator of theFTA, the Federal Trans Administration.
We were talking about how they haveupdated and upgraded almost 100
stations across America over thelast four years, to be accessible.
And she said, you know, Paul, it's notjust for people that are in a wheelchair.
It could be you if you break your legin a skiing accident, and you need to
get somewhere, et cetera, et cetera, andI think that's something important to
(03:48):
remember that, you know, anything couldhappen to any of us, and, you know, I
think about my mom and dad when they weregetting older and, you know, This is why
I'm so passionate about it, Ned, and I'mso happy to have you on board today to
talk about how you're providing, really,an extra level of service, even beyond
what's required under the ADA, this curbto curb service that was required under
ADA, with seven, one to seven days inadvance notice, for those of you around
(04:12):
the world, that, that's what the ADArequires, the Americans with Disabilities
Act And so, this service also says thata person has to make a trip, reservation
one to seven days in advance, meaning theycan't a lot of times get same day service,
which is something that Ned's company ishelping us achieve better service for.
Ned, how is UZURV working tobegin with the end in mind?
(04:33):
To put the passenger first.
And then tell me somethingabout your company and its role
in the paratransit industry.
Sure.
So, how do we put the end in mind first?
You know, the outcome here, as Isaid, before, Paul, the outcome here
is finding a way that independentmobility just feels normal for everyone.
And so my mother, who's about to turn 80,I'm looking forward to a trip with her
(04:56):
and my sister going off to celebrate that.
my immediate family, I've got folks withboth visible and invisible disabilities.
So, for people who need assistance withmobility, you could have a disability,
you could be an older adult, whereit, you just need help getting to the
vehicle or to the public transit stationto take advantage of this system.
(05:18):
And as you know, within threequarter miles of any fixed route
system, paratransit is there.
And so, as a public agency, what,what you're trying to do is, set up
the opportunity for an equal level ofservice, equivalent level of service
for the riders in your community.
What UZURV does, is work with publictransit agencies as a non dedicated
(05:39):
service provider in paratransit.
So what does that mean?
our Adaptive Transportation NetworkCompany, so an Adaptive Transportation
Network Company is a TNC model, but ourtechnology really governs and, makes sure
that the service provision can meet allof the federal, FTA included, state, and
(06:00):
and local requirements for compliance.
So, you can operate a TNC modelthat is FTA, drug and alcohol, pre
service and random testing compliant.
You can use that as a tool in your toolboxas a public transit agency to complement
your fixed assets, your paratransitfleet, your drivers, to help make your
(06:21):
system more efficient where it's tough.
You know, paratransit's hard.
It really is.
It's not easy.
There are a lot of thingsthat change on any given day.
One weather event, one road closed,and things kind of get out of whack.
So, what you need is a nimble and flexibletool that can be a part of that system
on a daily basis that can help you adapt.
And shift to the needs ofthe system on any given day.
(06:45):
And that means a lot of people getwhere they need to go to their medical
appointments, to the movies, ifthey want to go see their friends.
You know, a lot of times it's talked aboutas a cost, public transit, paratransit.
They're expensive.
The budgets are huge.
And we're all facing this operatingfiscal cliff coming up soon as
a nation and as an industry.
And that it's true.
(07:06):
You have to spend a significant amountof money to operate the service.
But the value that is created inour communities, the people who are
getting where they need to go, thejobs, the opportunity to get to the
medical appointments, to be free.
You know, there's tremendous value inpublic transit and what the industry
offers, and, you know, we're proud to bea part of it, You know, what we really
(07:27):
do is let agencies provide really highquality paratransit service at a cost
that is about 45 percent of the typicaloperating cost per trip per mile.
you know, we've beenable to sort of see that.
We're in about 15 states now, about 20different markets, have a number of,
different programs that we operate.
(07:47):
And, consistently, through federalreporting and data, you see a lot of
cost savings, you see 98 percent on timeperformance every single day, across
millions of trips, and it's, it's reallybeen rewarding to be a part of it.
That's great, Ned.
I know when I was at WMATA, we didn'thave companies like your company at that
time when I was running paratransit there.
(08:08):
And so we had to get taxi companiesto have their drivers drug tested, you
know, background checked, and then theywould opt into a program where then we
could use them as overflow, basically.
So is that how it works, Ned?
Are you guys in most Markets, companieslike yours, basically helping do the
overflow service for paratransit, thelonger trips, the late night trips,
(08:30):
or are you integrated in everywhere?
Or is it different inevery market, I guess?
Is it okay to start acomment with a cliche?
Yeah, sure.
As you know, with, and I probablyheard it from you first on the podcast,
when you've come across one publictransit agency, you've come across,
across one public transit agency.
They are all different andthere are good reasons for that.
Every community is different.
(08:50):
Every set of needs, everysort of governing structure.
And so what, what you find is that,you know, the, we work both directly
with public transit agencies,as a, as a contractor for them.
We also work a lot with the nationaltransit management companies as a
subcontractor to the prime who areoperating the paratransit systems.
we work on every major technologyplatform or operating system.
(09:13):
Very interesting.
It's so unique.
model, and, and set of parameters.
And so we have agencies where we are asmuch as 80 percent of the ambulatory,
so the non wheelchair accessiblevehicle, paratransit on a daily basis.
they emphasize using their fixedassets to make sure that the wheelchair
accessible vehicle, transportation in thatcommunity is exceptionally well served.
(09:35):
And we have places where we are, you know,a smaller percentage, usually, you know,
maybe sometimes 10, 15 percent of service.
It's interesting.
So, the model itself, TNC, for those whoaren't familiar with the terminology,
means Transport Networking Company,and it's kind of a, overall, the
nomenclature we use to talk aboutall these companies that are working
similar, where you basically hire peoplewho are driving their own car, right?
(09:57):
And then what happens?
So how does all that work?
It kind of, if you don't mind,unpack that a little bit for me.
How does all that work?
Let's say I wanted to be, youknow, I live near Baltimore.
Maybe I'm a school bus driver and I drivemornings and afternoons and I want to
drive during the three or four hours inthe middle of the day to make some money.
How does all that work, Ned?
You bet.
So a transportation network companyis a technology platform that lets
(10:19):
independent contractors performservice and, on the platform.
And so our public transit agenciescontract with UZURV to place their trips,
their rides, for their riders needs.
For their eligible riders on theUZURV platform and UZURV's platform,
then it's a marketplace business.
(10:40):
Does that make sense?
You've got rides on one side andyou've got providers on the other.
And so the, the providers who join userare people who've learned about this
opportunity to earn good money, doinggood, people who live in Baltimore,
for example, and, learn, hey, I havethis opportunity where I can help
people with disabilities or olderadults get where they need to go.
UZURV gets out there in the market andlets people know that we're available.
(11:04):
A driver downloads our application.
They go through an onboarding process,at which time they kind of prove that
they are legal to drive, that they areinsured, that they have the necessary
requirements and understanding of howto assist people with disabilities.
It's an extensive onboarding process thatis really unique to UZURV to be honest.
every TNC has onboardingand background checks.
(11:26):
What we've done is build a set ofbackground and compliance, oversight
and technology on the platform tomake sure that every single person
who arrives to provide service as acontractor on the platform knows what
to do, how to do it, and how to servepeople, how to ask the right question.
So you provide training to all them?
You know, Paul, that's, it's a,it's an interesting question.
(11:48):
Our technology platform makes surethat the drivers who are on the
platform, have the training that theyneed to do the service correctly.
And it is an extensive set of requirementsthat meet all of those federal, local,
state, the contractual requirements.
I mean, we all know how importantit is to make sure, you know how
(12:10):
to do the right things for everysingle rider on the platform.
Every rider has a unique set of needs.
Every rider has a uniqueset of preferences.
How do you make sure people aretreated, fairly, well, and, taken
care of appropriately on the platform?
And that, and that's what, that'swhat our onboarding process does.
It makes sure that every singlecontractor on the platform is able
to do that effectively and well.
(12:30):
And all this is, FTA compliant?
You know, do they have lotsof rules about all this?
Absolutely.
Yes, we've been a part of multipleaudits with our agency partners and
the transit management companies.
We have passed with, strong,exceptional results throughout the
process and, we, you know, it, we'veworked closely with, the FTA and
some of their contractors over time.
Yeah, those requirementswere written many years ago.
(12:52):
I mean, you're aware there's a newconversation kind of trying to clarify.
for the industry, the role thatTNCs play in how the FTA drug and
alcohol testing requirements apply.
it's really important.
You know, you, you can have lower cost,high quality service in a TMC model
without sacrificing safety and compliance.
(13:13):
You really can.
Paul.
Yeah, you know, it, it's, the funnything is if you're an agency or a
transit management operating company,and you had UZURV in your service mix
as a non dedicated service provider,and you're operating your fixed assets
and your fleet, and you're doing allthe things you do as best, as well
as you can, and you're doing a greatjob in your community, what kind of
(13:35):
trips are you sending to UZURV, Paul?
Are you sending us the easy ones?
Are you sending us thechallenging ones around the edge?
And I think that's, what's reallyimportant despite the fact that the
selection bias is the, the, the typesof trips and the systemic issues and
the peak hours and all of that cometo UZURV we've been able to deliver
98 percent on time performance ina 15 minute window, 15 minutes.
(13:58):
We pulled ourselves to anextremely high standard.
Quality first.
When I think about the rider experienceand measuring that in your community,
you know, we, we use net promoter score.
We use a different set ofcustomer satisfaction metrics.
We actually just did a study with yourfriends at TransPro and had them conduct
an independent survey across eightdifferent of our clients and partners.
(14:20):
Assessing the rider satisfaction of,paratransit and UZURV and came out with
an exceptional rider satisfaction score.
I looked at that study.
Yeah, I love Mark Ash, bythe way, does great work.
But yeah, yeah, yournumbers were awesome, man.
The other thing I like about, thismodel of having contractors and then
this TNC model assist them is, youknow, coming out of the pandemic, I
(14:43):
remember a couple of years ago, andhopefully that's the last time I ever
say that in an interview, because we'retrying to get away from saying that.
But I remember having a conversationwith another buddy of mine who
has a similar company of yours.
His name is Jeff Maltz.
He has a company called Silveride.
It's not the same thing, but similar.
And he said, Paul, the differenceis, you know, everybody was
having trouble getting drivers.
You know, he said, there is a differenttype of person that doesn't want to go
(15:04):
and do an eight hour shift in a uniform,come in and drive somebody else's
vehicle, drive to the yard, get in avehicle, go out eight hours and come back.
Versus Aunt Susan, who wants to workfor three hours when her child is in
daycare in the morning or in preschool.
She wants to go out, like I mentionedearlier, in her car, station wagon,
whatever, Volvo, and go out andmake a little money and help people.
(15:25):
It's something that makes her feel good.
So, I like that.
It attracts almost the user baseof your drivers, contractors It's
kind of a different group of peoplemaybe than would be attracted to a
full eight hour day that some peoplejust can't do or don't want to do.
It's definitely, one of the pieces, peoplelike independence and people like control.
(15:46):
And so, When you have the opportunityto do something that's really rewarding,
both, in a community service, inan emotional context, but also
pays well, it's nice to have that.
And independence and flexibility isone of the things that our providers
on the platform, our drivers, tellus is really important to them.
you know, we, we're in this uniqueposition where, because our technology
(16:09):
and our, operating model can be highlyefficient and are highly efficient in
comparison to traditional operatingmetrics, there's value that we can create
For our transit agency partners, ourtransit management partners, there's also
value that we are creating for our riders.
The experience, the time on board, thereliability of service, the timeliness
(16:34):
of that service, and also for ourproviders, the drivers on the platform.
It is really important to us thatevery single person In this sort of
community of what's involved on the userplatform is getting value out of it.
And there are very few businesseswhere somebody doesn't have to try
to squeeze something to get ahead.
And we don't.
The efficiency and the quality ofthe model allows us to make sure our
(16:57):
drivers are taken care of, the ridersare getting a great experience, and
the agencies are saving money andgetting better performance metrics.
It's a great, it's a great model.
Yeah.
Number one, oh, I'm sorry, butlet me just tell you one more.
Yeah,
sure.
The number one complaint fromuser of drivers is that I
wish I could do more of this.
You know, we don't alwayshave as many trips as someone
might want in a given market.
So it's always that constant balanceof supply and demand to make sure we're
(17:19):
keeping our performance metrics andtrying to, and we got a lot of work to
do to continue to grow and build on that.
Yeah, it's really importantto us that everybody receives
the value in the system.
That's amazing.
I, you know, Ron Brooks, you can'treally talk about paratransit in
America without bringing Ron Brooksinto it one of the leading, advocates,
good friend of both of ours.
and, he wrote a chapter, actually chapter11 in my recent book, New Future of
(17:40):
Public Transportation, where he talksabout, you know, Kind of how paratransit
got started in America, but also whereit's going, and gives a view of, you
know, moving to more on demand tripsfrom these pre scheduled and, the kind of
things you and I have been talking about.
And I really see, over the decades, soI've been involved in this now, this is
my fourth decade involved in paratransitand in fixed route transit, I've
(18:02):
seen an evolution Of how this worked.
When paratransit first, Igot into it before 1990.
I started 1987 and we didn't haveADA, we made up our own rules.
We bought our own vehicles.
We, but our job when I started wasto take people to senior centers
and doctors and the elderly folksand people with disabilities.
And then we had this, these rule-basedthing come in where everybody
(18:23):
bought certain types of vehiclesand it was under a certain model.
And then we had.
The rise of contractors, and I work formost of the major contractors, at the
time there were companies like Laidlaw,and Yellow Transportation, and then, and
MV, and then they all got consolidated.
The market changed, but contractorscame out and really specialized in this.
They're the contractors that theycontract with subcontractors like
(18:44):
UZURV or agencies do it directly.
And so this to me is the nextflexible iteration of service.
And there's other models too, right?
We know that Uber and Lyft don'thave direct ADA, but they're doing
rider's choice programs, which iskind of a different iteration of this.
So, there's lots of still, there's lotsof, exploration in the market, and I think
(19:06):
with the new Trump Administration comingin, we'll see what the next iteration will
be, because you know, I believe there'sgoing to be big changes foisted on the
industry, you know, the, the pocketbook'salways there, right, and so they're going
to say, here's how we want things to go,and it may be slightly different than
we've had, so there'll be, the abilityto adapt, is, is key, I think, for
this industry, but I love the fact thatwe all have the end customer in mind.
(19:29):
That's absolutely right.
Look, operating service is challenging.
Operating service is expensive.
And when you can find a toolthat you can add to the toolbox,
there's no panacea for any of this.
It's actually just really difficult tomove a lot of people around the community.
that's why we have an industry.
It's, it is really important to addthe tools to your toolbox that allow
(19:49):
you to have that layer of flexibilitythat you were talking about.
And look, there's a, there's aplace in the world for all different
types of businesses and services.
And so what we care about.
is that when it comes to people withdisabilities and older adults who
have specific needs, who have specificpreferences for how they get around, that
we make sure they're taken care of and youhave the right people getting to and fro.
(20:10):
You know, you talk about the riderchoice programs, you talk about
the different modes of service.
I think they're great.
You know, I really do.
What I do think is incrediblyimportant is that for the people
who need assistance, you know, thepeople for whom these regulations were
originally crafted to make sure theyhad the same access as everyone else.
(20:32):
And had the same amount of flexibilityand operating advantages that you can
have with some of these more flexiblemodels, such as our adaptive TNC model.
That's a great segue really to thelast segment of the podcast, Ned,
is let's take a look at the future.
what you see coming from yourperspective, what do you believe the
industry can do to improve, paratransit?
(20:53):
You started off with the term, I believeyou said in Australia, Australia,
they call it on demand transit.
That's right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's what it should be.
I think in the same way that I can getin a vehicle, or you can hop on the bus,
or I can get to a, whatever, in that sameway, the access to me being able to have
(21:14):
the independent mobility and the agencyfor myself, regardless of disability,
regardless of age, regardless of needfor assistance, That I have that agency,
that I can just get where I need to go.
There is so much unlocked value inour communities, job, workforce.
Medical benefits, healthcare, justemotional benefits for people being able
(21:35):
to get out and get where they need to go.
And I hope, I hope I'm not beatingthat drum too much, but what I see
is bringing into the mix of the fixedroute, these, you know, I love all of the
improvements that we've had in, buildingout more accessible fixed route service.
Yes.
Right.
really kind of.
Developing seamless transitions foreveryone throughout the network.
(21:58):
It's, it's, it's really important,to have all the tools and to
recognize all the people's needs.
In that process and just, youknow, build that toolbox out.
There's not one answerfor any given community.
Absolutely.
Do you see any other things on thehorizon in the future when it comes to
providing paratransit, you know, howtransit agencies can adjust their approach
(22:20):
to improving transit, paratransit?
I, you know, I think you continueto look at your technology stack
and the way that you're integrated.
you know, I, I think that there,there are some great systems out
there and, you know, they're allvery unique in how they're applied.
you know, you want your smartpeople on your staff able to
do the most important things.
And so, continuing to build on thetechnology stacks, really kind of
(22:43):
think about the tools in the toolboxthat make it easier to manage
the things that have been hard.
You know, it's, it's, continuingto, you know, you mentioned
Ron Brooks and Kristen Joyner.
I know they were on the podcast.
I enjoyed that, by the way.
It was great job.
yeah, they have a new book out.
We should, we should promote it.
a new book about, about all this.
Yeah.
All aboard.
Yes.
All aboard.
And, you know, it promotes itselfbecause it, it, one of the things that
(23:04):
I think we're, and Eileen Collins,another one of your guests is a, is
a really great advocate for this.
Listening in the community in differentand new ways and making sure you're
hearing the voices in a powerful wayand really incorporating that feedback.
when people can influenceeffectively the direction of
things, it really makes a difference
. Absolutely.
(23:24):
You know, I'm friends with John Donlon,the founder of UZURV, who recently
turned the reins over to you and istaking the role of president there.
Wonderful man.
He actually came to, I met him when hecame to my first book signing for the
book, The Future of Public Transportation,which was, in March of 20 with whatever
year it was when all this kicked in.
but, I love the, kind of hishistory and his background.
(23:47):
I'd like to hear a littlebit about yours, Ned.
How did you get into this business?
I mean, you're a very tactical, handson, you've kind of built this company.
You're the guy that was operatingthe day to day behind the scenes.
So tell me about your background and whatskill sets you brought to the table and
what made you interested in doing this?
Well, Paul, I am a, graduatedfrom college with a liberal arts
degree and no practical skills.
(24:09):
So, managed to find my way to becominga writer originally, a copywriter,
and I helped build a company, that,that, kind of rebuilt how college and
university student recruitment was done.
And it was this great journey of seeinga company, go from being a small,
unique, high quality product into thisgreat, large, wonderful thing that
became a, sort of a national presence.
(24:30):
spent some time, in strategy rolesand operations, marketing there.
I did my tour of duty in Fortune100 financial services, learning a
lot about brand strategy and how areally big enterprise is well managed.
And then I got that itch to go backand start building companies again.
So I live in Richmond, Virginia,which by the way, I think I mentioned,
(24:53):
I don't know if I mentioned, we'vebeen without water for four days,
which has been an interestingadventure here in the, in the network.
Now that's why the dark behind me here,cause buildings, but, we, so, as I
kind of wrapping up that time in, brandand fortune 100, I wanted to find.
something to build again.
And I met John.
And, you know, John's one of these,wonderful, caring human beings who
(25:16):
found this company, UZURV, and wasa part of really learning about
all these needs in paratransit andapplying what our technology platform
could do, to, to, to what's possible.
And we've just continued to learn what'sreally unique about UZURV in this case.
and I'll come back to, to sortof the, the, the course here.
(25:36):
We have been operating service andbuilding the technology as we go to do it.
So everything we've built froma technology standpoint really
comes from real world, hardknocks experience of day to day.
How do you manage thesethings well and safely?
And that's the difference inUZURV And what's made us really
good at what we do and why ourperformance metrics are so high.
(25:58):
So that, that journey here, Icame here to help John launch.
we'd been, I think in Richmond was our,our, our home base was our first contract.
We were in Nashville.
We were in Jacksonville, Florida,but it was time to launch nationally.
And I began that journey withhim from a marketing standpoint.
A couple of years in became the COO.
built out the driver recruiting had,quite a pandemic period as we all did.
(26:18):
And, you know, we just, we foundour way and we've continued to
build, we have a great team, youknow, and the, the, the team and
the culture is what really matters.
And we're going to keep doing what we do.
Absolutely.
talking about your team, I'm,I'm, I know several of them.
Your IT director is such a sharp guy.
PhilBear, Phil has built thisplatform for the ground up.
(26:40):
With our Richmond, Virginia basedengineering team, small team really
punches above their weight, but he hasbuilt it from the ground up from the
get go, also a founder of the company.
to provide the, the compliance toprovide what you need to do paratransit
well, that's what it was designed for.
It's not another systembeing applied to paratransit.
(27:02):
This is a technology platform, anadaptive TNC platform that is built
specifically for paratransit and forassisting people with disabilities.
It's great.
I mean, the expertise with integrations.
The efficiency, thereliability of the platform.
I look, I've been a part of a lot ofdifferent companies that were growing.
I've seen a lot of bubblegumand duct tape over my time.
Never worked with a more professional,thoughtful, strategic, and caring group
(27:27):
of people in our engineering team.
And that goes across the board from our,from our sales people who are actually,
yeah, they're in sales and businessdevelopment, but you know, our, our EVP
of business development, John Duncan, heactually really cares about seeing these
agencies truly get where they want to go.
It's great.
I mean, it's just, every singleperson here has their own sort of
(27:47):
unique story about their person,their person in their lives who's
struggled to get where they need to go.
And it's very personal for all of us.
You know, there is no reasonthat it has to be difficult
to get where you want to go.
There's no reason why if youhave a service animal and you're
trying to get where you needto go, you get service denials.
That doesn't have to happen.
(28:08):
And, we want to see it
changed.
That's great.
Well, Ned, thank you so much forspending a few minutes with us today
on the podcast to talk about thisnext phase of evolution of the, of
how paratransit is offered in the U.
S.
market and is there any finalthoughts or any closing thoughts
you want to leave us with?
No,
Paul, you're
the best.
You know, keep this voice going.
(28:28):
I really appreciate hearing from allthe different leaders in paratransit.
Thank you, Ned.
Thank you, Paul.
Thank you for listening to this week'sepisode of Transit Unplugged with our
special guest, UZURV CEO, Ned Freeman.
Coming up next week, we have thethird of five shows that come from
Paul's recent visit to Australia.
(28:50):
In this episode, Paul was joined byspecial co host Kelly Chapman for
some interviews with just a few of theamazing women leading the way and making
a difference in transit in Australia.
.Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo.
At Modaxo, we're passionateabout moving the world's people.
And at Transit Unplugged, we'repassionate about telling those stories.
So until next week, ridesafe and ride happy.
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