Rockford Mass Transit District begins placing 14 new paratransit vehicles into service

The Rockford Mass Transit District (RMTD) is rolling out new vehicles to update its ADA paratransit service - RMTD Paratransit- as part of it's ongoing effort to create reliable delivery of paratransit services for the community.

RMTD has acquired and received 14 new paratransit vehicles, replacing the oldest and highest mileage vehicles in the current paratransit fleet.

The replacement vehicles, which are already being implemented into service, will be more efficient to operate and reduce overall maintenance costs. The new vehicles also come equipped with a new wheelchair securement system, which RMTD expects to be more convenient for customers who utilize it.

In addition, RMTD has launched a project to replace its current paratransit scheduling and dispatching software with a new system. The new software is expected to improve trip scheduling efficiencies, which will help improve the customer experience by reducing wait times. RMTD says the new software will provide enhanced customer facing tools, including the ability for customers to schedule their owns rides, confirm rides and check their arrival times through a new phone application, as well as receive updates via phone, email or text notifications.

The project is expected to take six months to fully implement. The install of the core system will occur during the next three months, with the customer facing features to follow. RMTD will be providing paratransit customers updates on the new customer facing tools as the project progresses.