City of Cape Town's Dial-a-Ride service gets some bold new changes

Source: www.myciti.org.za

A newly refurbished fleet, as well as the introduction of a DaR mobile app and online platform for virtual payments and bookings, count among the improvements that will be available to eligible users in phases in coming months.

This is part of The City of Cape Town's efforts in keeping differently abled Capetonians moving.

The City of Cape Town provides transport to commuters with special needs who cannot use conventional public transport services, have been assessed by a relevant healthcare practitioner and found to be eligible to use the Dial-a-Ride (DaR) service.

"We have signed a new six-year contract with HG Travelling Services to operate this service at a cost of around R28,1 million per year; R18,1 million of which is subsidised by the City and R10 million by the Western Cape Provincial Government. Importantly, the new contract allows for the expansion of the service, through subcontracting, to accommodate more eligible users as more budget becomes available in future years," said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas.

"The City is replacing the current cash and card payment system with a virtual travel wallet for advance payments. I’m excited to announce we are also busy developing a dedicated DaR online platform and mobile app to make the service more convenient. Key functionalities will become available in phases, as from 1 November 2024. I trust these improvements will make it easier to register and apply for the services, book trips, track vehicles, and so forth," noted Quintas.

Bold new changes

• The six-year contract allows for the expansion of the DaR service subject to budget availability. HG Travelling Services will be able to subcontract service providers with smaller vehicles for those passengers who do not require wheelchairs – these could be NGOs, NPOs, e-hailing operators etc.

• To improve safety and security, and discourage no-shows, DaR will no longer accept card or cash payments. This change is effective as of 1 November 2024 when users will pay upfront for trips by either making an EFT payment in advance, or use the DaR online platform or DaR mobile application to load money onto a virtual card for payments.

• Once fully functional, the public will be able to register and apply to use the DaR service through either the online platform or mobile app.

• In coming months, and as more functionalities become available, DaR users will be able to book trips, manage their bookings, view in-trip progress and track vehicles through the online platform and mobile app.

• The mobile app for drivers will assist with their route planning, scheduling of trips, and navigation tools to improve efficiencies, reduce costs, and ensure shorter commuting times.

• The mobile apps and web-based platforms are designed according to the international Web Content Accessibility Guidelines for ease of interpretation and ease of processing using the built-in hardware and software on smartphones and devices.

• Users can still phone the HG Travelling Services call centre to book trips.

• The online platform and app will be introduced in phases.

"It may take a while for some users to get used to the changes, in particular as it relates to upfront payments for bookings as from 1 November 2024. This is very important to improve safety for both the users and drivers, and eliminate no-shows as we want to accommodate as many people as possible. I’m excited about the service offerings that the new app and online platform will bring to our DaR users and trust this will be of great benefit," said Quintas.