A new approach to tackling excess paratransit demand: Dynamic Overflow

Paratransit demand continues to grow alongside the population. Amid shrinking budgets and operator shortages, serving more of these already costly, eligibility-based trips is more challenging than ever. Without an effective overflow strategy, agencies risk sacrificing compliance or overspending on additional vehicles and staff.

A growing number of providers nationwide are turning to a new model — Dynamic Overflow — a flexible, fully managed approach that matches supply to demand in real time, ensures full compliance with FTA requirements, and keeps costs under control.

Leading transit agencies across the country are seeing results:

• 60% lower cost-per-trip with improved rider experience at NJ Transit, New Jersey.
• 20% fewer rider calls and 1,100+ staff hours saved at Trinity Metro, Texas.
• 10% increase in on-time performance at TARTA, Ohio.

Below are three ways Dynamic Overflow delivers higher-quality, more efficient paratransit services.

Maintaining strict safety and compliance standards — at a lower cost.

You don’t have to sacrifice compliance for flexibility. Dynamic Overflow meets every FTA and ADA standard, with drug and alcohol testing for all drivers, accessible vehicles, and automated National Transit Database (NTD) reporting. Even better, its tech-enabled scheduling and routing maximize resource usage and reduce cost per ride.

NJ Transit replaced private ride-hailing trips with Via-operated overflow, starting with just five WAVs and scaling as needed. Since launching in Summer 2024, the service has delivered 33,000+ trips with 98% on-time performance. Schedules and routing are continuously optimized, grouping riders traveling in the same direction — cutting cost per ride by 60%. NJ Transit now reports overflow trips to the NTD, ensuring full transparency and compliance.

Flexible, customizable overflow solution that suits your operational needs.

Traditional overflow models — like outsourcing to a TNC — can’t adapt to seasonal shifts or sudden surges. Dynamic Overflow flexes with your needs, accommodating a variety of operational models and nuances, whether that’s fully dedicated vehicles, responsive supply, or connecting paratransit to the rest of your network. By sharing resources — technology, fleets, driver shifts — between on-demand microtransit and paratransit, it enables better vehicle productivity, meet surges in demand seamlessly, giving riders more flexibility and ensuring equitable access to mobility.

TARTA in Toledo, Ohio, deployed dedicated minivans to meet 100% excessive demand (~7,000 trips per month), even during staffing shortages. Since switching to Via, the service's on-time performance has increased by 10% compared to the previous provider. Outsourcing additional capacity allowed their in-house staff to mitigate the effects of workforce shortages, and help the agency improve employee retention.

Excellent rider experience, one trip at a time.

Dynamic Overflow isn’t just about filling extra trips — it’s about making every overflow ride as reliable, accessible, and high-quality as your core service. This first-in-industry model allows cities and agencies to have full control of paratransit services while improving the rider experience by using dedicated, accessible fleets and drivers comprehensively trained in safety and accessibility. Its best-in-class algorithms optimize schedules in real time to keep rides on time and minimize time on board, while rider-facing tools provide full visibility into trip status, reducing complaints and calls. Every overflow driver is fully trained to deliver safe, high-touch service, and real-time updates keep riders and caregivers informed at every step. 

At Trinity Metro, Fort Worth, Texas, Dynamic Overflow is delivering measurable gains for riders and agency alike. Real-time scheduling and routing optimize every trip, improving on-time performance and cutting ride durations. Rider-facing tools — including mobile booking, online eligibility applications, and AI-powered phone systems — make the service more accessible and transparent, while reducing call volumes. The results: a 32% drop in rider complaints, 84% fewer trips over 90 minutes, and a 20% reduction in call center calls — saving more than 1,100 staff hours annually.

Ready to take control of your paratransit overflow? With Dynamic Overflow, you can:

• Keep your service fully compliant and rider-focused
• Meet demand flexibly, integrating overflow seamlessly into your existing operations
• Reduce operational costs and improve efficiency 

Let’s talk about what modern paratransit management looks like for your agency.