SamTrans launches Ride Now taxi subsidy pilot program

Customers who qualify for SamTrans’ Ride Now subsidized taxi service can begin applying come Aug. 1.

The program is available for seniors and people with disabilities, including existing Redi-Wheels customers. The pilot program operates within a designated service area covering San Carlos, Redwood City and North Fair Oaks.

Riders can access applications through SamTrans’ website or by calling. Once approved and enrolled in the program, customers can book trips directly through Serra Yellow Cab. Riders pay a $5 copay per one-way trip, as well as any meter fare amount exceeding $25. Those enrolled in the program can take up to eight qualifying one-way trips per month.

The SamTrans Mobility Plan and the San Mateo County Paratransit Coordinating Council identified affordable, same-day transportation as a top need for seniors and people with disabilities in South County. The pilot aims to meet that demand and potentially offset some of the high operating cost of Redi-Wheels paratransit service, which provides more than 1,000 trips per month within the Ride Now coverage area. It is one of four such taxi subsidy programs in San Mateo County, the others of which operate in Pacifica, San Mateo and Daly City.

The Ride Now pilot, made possible through a Federal Transit Administration grant, is currently funded through April 2021.