Total Contract Solutions, Inc.

Taxicab Subsidy / Voucher Programs

TCS brings experience on a number of projects across the U.S. that utilize user-side subsidies to make taxicab service affordable for targeted groups, as well as on taxicab voucher and related programs that integrate taxicabs into transportation programs such as for public transportation, ADA paratransit and safe-ride programs. Some of these programs have provided combinations of these elements, such as where the taxicabs provide subsidy trips and also backup to the ADA paratransit service. TCS’s experience on these projects has also included several that integrate wheelchair accessible taxis. More recently TCS has prepared grant applications / proposals and implementation plans for taxicab subsidy programs and wheelchair accessible taxicabs for FTA New Freedom Program (Section 5317) grants now in the startup phase in major urban areas, with others in progress for 2008. TCS’s work on these various projects includes the gamut of program elements including program design, contracting, startups and operational issues. Subsidy programs are ideal for providing levels of service that go “beyond the ADA” in terms of geography served, service hours and with greatly relaxed reservations lead time requirements. TCS’s experience with subsidy programs includes the following locations.

In addition to its experience on projects in specific geographies, TCS has performed research and conducted surveys on subsidy and voucher programs in other locations throughout the United States. In addition to its organizational experience, TCS’s President, Charles Johnson, is recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts on utilizing taxicabs in paratransit and other public transportation projects including subsidy programs. Prior to forming TCS, he had hands-on experience with these programs, including managing transportation operations and as a transportation technology solutions provider that dealt heavily with voucher programs. Mr. Johnson is also the author of many articles on this and related topics, including “User-side Subsidy and Choice Programs in Transportation Contracting,” published in the Transportation Leader, Spring, 2005.

Taxicabs in Paratransit and Transit

TCS’s experience with utilizing taxicabs directly in ADA paratransit (by methods other than the subsidy programs just discussed) includes the following locations:

In addition to these locations, TCS has worked on a host of brokered human service projects that utilize taxicabs for a variety of human service transportation projects. These projects were further described in other sections above.

Taxicabs with Wheelchair Accessibility

TCS brings experience with wheelchair accessible taxicab services throughout the United States. This includes comprehensive consulting and implementation assistance in integrating wheelchair accessible taxicabs into various contracts for transportation service such as ADA paratransit and other programs. One early project resulted initially in more than forty wheelchair accessible taxicabs in contracted paratransit service over the project’s first twelve months, later expanded to more than 100 accessible taxicabs, the largest accessible taxicab contract in the Unites States. Programs included hourly route service, user side subsidy service and taxicab backup service. Later TCS provided consulting on a number of other contract services and operational issues for this same fleet.

In another jurisdiction, TCS consulted on wheelchair accessible taxicab regulations and operations, including a review of current regulation and recommend changes. TCS reviewed wheelchair dispatching methods and provided recommendations on procedural changes and software enhancements for the project. TCS analyzed statistics and prepared a reporting system and ongoing reports for wheelchair taxicab trips for compliance with new regulatory requirements. TCS provided statistical reporting services for the project for more than two years.

TCS has consulted on a number of other accessible taxicab and livery projects at other locations throughout the Untied States.