Revised Fare Policy for Flex-T Mobility Program ( Flexible Transportation for People with Disabilities)
We are adjusting our pricing to more accurately reflect the value riders get from our services and to ensure the financial viability of the program. As a result, EZ Ride will charge a flat fee of $2.40/ mile, and there will be no additional pick-up fee. The increase will be effective September 15, 2017.
The Flex-T Mobility program was launched in 2009 with a grant from the Kessler Foundation to provide rides for people with reduced mobility using volunteer drivers in Monmouth County. The program has grown and now serves more than 100 riders mostly in Monmouth County, and the total number of rides provided has doubled over the last two years from about 9,000 in 2015 to 18,000 in 2017. We have replaced the volunteers with professional drivers who had the skill sets to meet the needs of the riders we were attempting to serve which increases the cost.
Our 100+ customers live in about 50 different towns and travel to more than 250 different destinations. A large number of origins and destinations make it difficult for our clients to share a ride and if they do, it increases the time they spend in the car traveling. Currently, the average trip length is about 7.7 miles and takes about 24 minutes. We are able to accomplish it by using a larger fleet of vehicles and more drivers which again increases the cost.
To simplify our billing operations, we now require our customers to provide us with a credit/ debit card. Similar to EZ Pass, we will initially deduct $50 from the credit/debit card to open the account and fund the rides. As and when the account balance drops to $25 or below; we will replenish the account balance by adding $50 from the credit/ debit card. All active members will receive a monthly statement of rides provided and their cost.
EZ Ride is a qualified provider for the New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) which provides funding for services that assist adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live as independently as possible. Each individual who uses DDD’s services has a plan of care developed with their Support Coordinator that details how they want to live and their transportation needs are described in this document.
EZ Ride is working closely with the DDD client and their Support Coordinator to ensure that they are aware of the price increase and are getting the transportation they need. We appreciate our riders’ continued participation in our Flex-T program and look forward to serving their transportation needs into the future.
For additional information, please contact:
(201)939-4242 or email [email protected]