1. Call-n-Ride Transportation Program
Montgomery County Department of Transportation Division of Transit Services May 7, 2015

2. Overview Introduction Eligibility & Recertification Income Categories
Current participants by Income Levels
Transition from paper vouchers to swipe cards
Trip Process
Account Management
Same Day Access
Q&A 1

3. Introduction
Call-n-Ride (CNR) is a user-side subsidy program aimed at improving mobility for low-income seniors and persons with disabilities in the County
Participants’ subsidy levels range from 50% %; determined by income
Transportation service is provided by local taxi companies who are under contract with the County
Participants receive up to $120 worth of taxi rides per month
CNR provides 10,500 trips per month
Funding for CNR is from State grant, County funds, and user fees. 2

4. Eligibility Seniors 67 years or older and low income provide:
Proof of age
Proof of residency
Proof of income
Persons with disabilities, 18 – 66 years provide:
All of the above; disability form signed by a licensed physician
Participants are required to recertify every two years to continue participating in the program 3

5. Income Categories 4

6. Participants by Income Levels5

7. Transition to Swipe Cards
On April 1, 2013 Call-n-Ride eliminated vouchers and transitioned to a swipe card system
The program utilizes the EZTransport System which was integrated to the hardware and software in the vehicles of all participating taxi companies.
The Call-n-Ride card is a “closed loop” card that is processed by the EZTransport Gateway.
The Swipe cards are more convenient for users
Enhances the ability to better monitor the transactions and activities in the Call-n-Ride program.
The new system has also ensured that the services go to those people for whom they are intended. 6

8. Trip Process
Participants present the Call-n-Ride card to driver at the beginning of the trip.
Driver swipes that card at the beginning of the trip to perform a Balance Inquiry which serves 2 purposes:
Sends the pickup date, time, provider, vehicle #, driver #, pickup GPS coordinates and card number to the EZTransport system
Validates the card and returns the account available balance to the driver and cardholder
If the balance inquiry is approved and there are enough available funds for the trip, the driver will perform the trip. If balance inquiry is not completed at the start of the trip, the trip will decline when driver swipes card and attempts to process the fare at the destination.
Upon arrival at the destination, the driver will swipe the participant’s card and perform a purchase; the total cost is electronically deducted from the participants’ card
The following data will be sent to the EZTransport system in real time – Trip date and time, drop off date and time, provider, vehicle #, driver #, pick-up and drop-off GPS coordinates and total fare amount.
If the Swipe Card system is down in a specific cab, the driver can accommodate CNR rider for that trip by using a CNR manual form; the driver must then inform his dispatch and cannot perform anymore CNR trips until it is fixed. 7

9. Invoicing and Auditing
All trip charges must adhere to the County’s Taxi Regulation meter rates
The taxi companies submit/upload their invoices with trip details to the EZTransport System, within 7 days after the end of the weekly cycle
The providers’ invoice data is compared to the live real time data collected at the time the trip was taken
The trip audit process will:
Check for first swipe time vs. purchase time
Run the mileage based on the addresses and GPS coordinates
Recalculate fare amount for trips with high fares with low mileages
Checks for high extras and tip amounts
The audit process identifies anomalies in trips and invoices including:
Trips that appear to have violations or discrepancies
Intentional excessive billing
Excessive billing due to driver mistakes or system error
Fare and distance mismatch
Receipts missing data. 8

10. Account Management
Monthly co-payment can be made by mailing checks, money orders or on-line payments
Maximum monthly subsidy value is $120; participants can also choose to receive a $60 subsidy value
Maximum accumulated balance on a card is $360
Participants can check account activity, card usage and balance information online, or by calling the hotline 9

11. Same Day Access Program
User-side subsidy program
Participants: Certified Metro Access participants who do not qualify for Call-n-Ride because of income requirements can participate in this program
Participants can get “same day” taxi service; MetroAccess trips are scheduled at least one day in advance of the desired travel date
Provides up to $60 worth of taxi rides per month for $30 (50% subsidy)

12. Sam Oji 240-777-5800 sam.oji@montgomerycountymd.gov
Questions?
Sam Oji