Partner with a Transportation Network Company to improve community mobility

Massachusetts law defines a TNC as “a corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, or other entity that uses digital network to connect riders to drivers to pre-arrange and provide transportation.” TNCs are sometimes referred to as ride-hailing, ride-sharing, or ride-sourcing. Common examples include Lyft and Uber.

In Massachusetts, organizations are partnering with TNCs to provide subsidized rides and enhance mobility for transportation-disadvantaged populations, including older adults, people with disabilities, and low-income individuals. Five such partnerships have been underway since 2017 or before:

• North Shore Community College
• Needham Community Council
• The RIDE (MBTA)
• Brookline Senior Center
• Community Accessing Rides

Check out the Additional Resources below for our report discussing these five partnerships and our table providing additional detail on each. In September 2018, four of these initiatives presented as part of a forum hosted by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.

Additional organizations have launched pilots or partnerships more recently:

• MASCO - offering additional options for employees of member companies at this Transportation Management Association
• Carlisle Council on Aging - increasing mobility to improve community health
• Community Teamwork, Inc - replacing a taxi voucher program for consumers
• Tewksbury Police Department - providing rides to individuals accessing recovery services

• TRIPPS offers a multi-day instructional lesson that teaches participants how to download and use the apps. The workshop culminates in riders pairing up to summon and take a trip on either Uber or Lyft in order to put their learning into practice. TRIPPS is an initiative of the Brookline Council on Aging. Contact TRIPPS if you are interested in bringing their workshop to your town.
• GoGo schedules rides for callers, for an additional fee.
• Jitterbug phone users can use their phones to schedule trips for an additional fee.

• Data on TNC usage by municipality
• State law on  TNCs
• TNC disbursements - how municipalities are spending the 10 cents they get for each TNC ride that originates in their municipality
• State WAV pilot - pilot to increase the availability of wheelchair-accessible TNCs in Greater Boston

• Shared Use Mobility Center - national organization researching ride-hailing and other new forms of shared mobility

• Examples of Mobility on Demand Policies and Public-Private Partnerships to Increase Accessibility (2020) - Shared-Use Mobility Center and the National Center for Mobility Management

• Partnerships Between Transit Agencies and Transportation Network Companies (2019) - Transit Cooperative Research Program Research Report

• Partners in Transit: A Review of Partnerships between Transportation Network Companies and Public Agencies in the US (2018) - report from the Chaddick Instritute for Metropolitan Development at Depaul University