New company providing on-demand rides for people with disabilities

Another company providing private on-demand rides for people with disabilities enters the Twin Cities market this week, bringing the number of vendors offering the premium service to three.

Uzurv’s arrival is exciting for Michael Sack, vice chairman of the Minneapolis Advisory Committee on People With Disabilities.

“Adding Uzurv will bring a big boost to achieving transportation equality amongst all residents of the Twin Cities,” said Sack, who has quadriplegic cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair.

For the past 15 years, Sack has used Metro Mobility a few days a week to get to a day skills training program at Rise in Crystal. To do so, Sack, 35, of Minneapolis, has had to arrange a ride a few days in advance. And he could never depend of Metro Mobility to be on time, he said.

Uzurv works more like Uber and Lyft, meaning riders can use the company app or call to schedule a pickup with a two-hour lead time, said spokesman Steve Cummings.

“People need to get where they need to go,” said CEO Ned Freeman. “It’s freedom to get to work and take care of needs, to have access to what they need and when they want.”

Freeman said drivers will add a personal touch, offering an arm to help customers reach the vehicle “if that is what they want.”

Rides on Uzurv and the two other providers of on-demand rides — Carepool and Transportation Plus — cost $5. The Metro Mobility program will cover the next $20. The customer is responsible for any costs above $25.

The Met Council, which administers Metro Mobility, has offered on-demand rides since about 2004. Their popularity has grown substantially in recent years with the advent of rideshare and customer demands for private rides rather than sharing a van with others or relying on public trains and buses.

The Met Council put out a request for companies to step in, and Uzurv answered the call. The company operates in 15 states and the District of Columbia.

Traditional paratransit like Metro Mobility “limits spontaneity,” and can keep people from getting to last-minute social engagements, rescheduled appointments or an extra shift at work, said Andy Streasick, the Met Council’s assistant director of Metro Mobility. “It’s nice to have transportation options on the same day.”

Last year, customers certified to use Metro Mobility took 150,000 on-demand rides, up 95% from the previous year, Streasick said.

Streasick said the Met Council added a third on-demand provider to give customers with disabilities a suite of transportation options that also includes free rides on traditional buses and trains and fee-based Metro Mobility.

Sack, who has long advocated for on-demand transportation for those with disabilities, said he’s “ecstatic” Uzurv has come to town because it means having reliable, on-demand transportation available at all times of the day.

“That will provide them with more freedom and independence,” Sack said.

Minnesota Valley Transit Authority begins new service to Dakota County Technical College, from Eagan Transit Station to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, and express trips from Savage to downtown Minneapolis.

The agency is also adding additional trips to the University of Minnesota on routes 465, 475 and 490 as part of its fall service changes, which go into effect on Tuesday.