RideKC builds Uber-like app for Kansas Citians with disabilities
April 27, 2017 | Meghan LeVota
For Kansas City residents with disabilities, it’s difficult to rely on bus schedules to get from place to place — even with paratransit options.
Starting May 1, Kansas City residents with disabilities will have access to an on-demand option. The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority recently developed the ride-hailing app RideKC Freedom On-Demand, which will start a one-year pilot serving areas both north and south of the Missouri River.
Designated service areas
Like Uber, users can download the app on their phone to request a ride. Customers may pay with credit or debit cards via the app, or pay with cash in the vehicle. For those without access to a smartphone, RideKC will also have a call-in option.
“We can’t solve all of our transportation needs with a big 40-foot bus,” KCATA CEO Robbie Makinen said in a release. “That’s why KCATA is continuing to innovate and work collaboratively with the private sector to provide the best mobility solutions for the region, whether that’s a bus, a streetcar, a taxi or a bike.”
Unlike existing paratransit options for people with disabilities that must be done a day in advance, the app enables customers to call taxis every day, at any hour. Customers must request a ride within the designated service area, and will pay a slightly higher fare if the trip takes them out of the service area.
Although RideKC Freedom On-Demand was built specifically with people with disabilities in mind, its goal is to provide fast, affordable cab rides for everyone.
“RideKC Freedom is unique in that the service concept was created first to better serve persons with disabilities, and then build out for everyone,” Makinen said in a release. “Traditionally, transit agencies create service for the masses and then try to figure out how to serve persons with disabilities. We have done the opposite here.”
Americans with Disabilities will pay $3 for the first eight miles of service and $2 for every subsequent mile. Non-ADA customers over the age of 65 will pay $5 for the first eight miles and $2 for every subsequent mile. General public customers will pay $10 for the first five miles and $2 for every subsequent mile. Each single fare enables customers to bring along three guests with them at no additional charge.
You can download the RideKC Freedom app on iOS and Android devices starting May 1.
2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Mycroft hits crowdfunding goal in hours, raises $400K for Mark II
Mycroft’s Mark II crowdfunding campaign raised eight times its goal — and the tech firm is still counting. The Kansas City-based startup set out to raise $50,000 on Kickstarter and garner support from early adopters for its voice assistant product Mark II — similar to Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri or Microsoft’s Cortana. Mycroft “blew through”…
Negro leagues’ only three women players inspire ‘Beauty of the Game’ by KC designer Cherry
Toni Stone, Connie Morgan and Mamie Johnson — the only three women to play in the Negro baseball leagues — remain an inspiration to female entrepreneurs in male-dominated industries some 50 years later, said Thalia Cherry. “It’s still important for us to carve out a great space for ourselves, a great niche, and do the…
Ranking: KC defies gender pay gap, again earns No. 2 for Women in Tech
Second only to Washington, D.C., in a new national ranking, Kansas City boasts a noteworthy statistic: Women in tech jobs are paid, on average, 2 percent more than their male counterparts. It’s the fourth consecutive year Kansas City has earned a No. 2 on the list of the Best Cities for Women in Tech. But…
Operation Breakthrough expansion helps give every child a chance, Mayor Sly James says
It’s the beginning of a new chapter for Operation Breakthrough, said Kansas City Mayor Sly James. The mayor joined a packed crowd of supporters on an icy Thursday morning to share the Kansas City-based organization’s formal announcement of its $17 million capital campaign and expansion project. The effort — dubbed “Big Dreams, Bright Futures” —…