Access to safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation is a critical success factor for any community, and American Logistics is committed to the development and delivery of on-demand transportation services that customers enjoy using; that address the accessibility and equity needs of all riders, including riders with disabilities, riders who require wheelchair-accessible services, and riders who do not have access to banking services or credit/debit cards; that engage local transportation providers, including small and disadvantaged businesses; that incorporate innovations that improve customer satisfaction, performance and cost effectiveness over time; and that address the constrained fiscal realities facing many communities.
Serving Communities
Service Design
American Logistics utilizes a state-of-the-art technology platform, customer-facing web portal and mobile apps, and a 24/7/365 customer service center to connect customers with a network of transportation providers who can provide transportation on-demand. Our providers include Transportation Network Companies (aka Uber), local taxicab companies, non-emergency medical transportation providers and wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV) providers who are vetted and overseen by American Logistics. American Logistics is able to customize service areas, hours of operation, customer fares for service and other policies and procedures based on the community’s direction. American Logistics is able to operate service as part of the community’s ADA paratransit network or as a stand-alone system designed to attract customers away from more regulated and more costly ADA paratransit services.
Service that Customers Enjoy
Whether a rider is heading to work, attending a concert, meeting friends for dinner, or traveling to a medical appointment, they want transportation that is easy-to-use, affordable, safe, reliable and comfortable. They also want to know what to expect—when the driver will arrive, how much it will cost, and how long the trip will take.
High quality service not only means happier customers. It means more commendations and fewer complaints, fewer negative social media posts, fewer letters to elected officials, and less time spent by everyone trying to do damage control. And when the service costs no more than, or potentially less than, traditional paratransit or dial-a-ride services, satisfied customers can lead to direct cost savings as well.
Recognizing the importance of high quality service, American Logistics is able to partner with you to develop a MOD program that can include any or all of the following service attributes:
- Service can be made available in any area and at any time of the day or night.
- Customers can book a trip online or by phone on an immediate basis or anywhere between one hour and several weeks in advance.
- Customers can book just about any type of trip imaginable: a one-way trip, a round trip, a recurring trip, a trip with a will-call return, or a trip with a short stop along the way.
- Customers can choose their preferred provider for any trip, and customers can switch providers at any time.
- Customers who need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle can request one.
- Customers can monitor the status of their trips online or using our community-branded mobile app.
- Customers can pay for their trips online using a credit/debit card, with an electronic check (ACH) or from a prepaid account which they can establish online. Some providers may also permit their drivers to accept payment at the time of travel.
Accessibility and Equity for All
We understand that when we are standing in your shoes, we are responsible for serving all of your residents, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, age, disability or any other attribute. Recognizing this requirement, we have designed our services to be accessible and equitable for all people. Here are some of the steps we take within each project to ensure equity and accessibility for all people.
- We design a transportation provider network that is able to meet the needs of all riders, regardless of where and when they need to travel.
- We are able to design a transportation provider network that includes a mix of vehicle types as well as ADA-compliant wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs). Our goal is that any rider is able to receive and experience service in the same way as any other rider. Typically, our provider network includes TNCs, taxicab companies, non-emergency medical transportation providers and companies operating WAVs.
- We partner with our providers to ensure that they implement policies, [procedures and training that promote accessible and equitable service and a culture of acceptance and inclusion for all riders.
- We offer both telephone-based and online tools for managing all aspects of service.
- Our customer-facing websites and mobile apps are designed to comply with all applicable accessibility guidelines, including mobile app developer standards and web accessibility guidelines published by the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C). Our online portal currently meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA Success Criteria as adopted by the W3C in 2019.
- Our Customer Service Center is able to assist customers who speak English or Spanish at all times, and we use Google translation services in order to assist other customers. We also use the 711 Relay Services for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Partnering with Small and Local Businesses
American Logistics has national partnerships with TNCs, but since many customers cannot use TNC-provided services effectively, our success depends on partnerships with other types of providers, including taxicab companies, non-emergency medical transportation providers and companies that operate wheelchair-accessible service. Over the years, we have learned that our best and most successful partners are locally owned companies based in the communities we serve utilizing drivers, dispatchers and other personnel who reflect the character and diversity of the surrounding vicinity. Most of these companies are smaller companies, and many are certified through local SBE, DBE, MBE and WBE programs. We pride ourselves on working with these companies because they make our service better, more responsive and more reflective of the passengers we transport, and over time, these providers often become strong supporters of not only the program, but also of the transportation system as a whole.
An Innovative Approach
20 years ago, American Logistics pioneered the idea of utilizing non-dedicated vehicles to deliver paratransit trips when traditional shared-ride paratransit was either not available and/or not productive, such as during late-night and weekend hours. In 2016, we were one of the first paratransit providers to develop technology integrations with TNCs, and in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we pivoted from a brick and mortar Customer Service Center to a virtual cloud-based Customer Service Center which allowed our agents to work in complete safety from absolutely anywhere. This spirit of innovation lives on, and it informs our work in locations across the country. There is no “one size fits all” approach to paratransit or on-demand transportation. Instead, American Logistics works with each community to understand local priorities, local needs and local challenges so that we can customize a program that meets the unique needs of each community.
A Cost-Effective Alternative
Every community is different, but in general, American Logistics is able to offer pricing that is significantly lower than that of traditional shared-ride paratransit services. Here’s how.
- We utilize existing providers who have already invested in facilities, fleets, technologies and drivers. As a result, we do not need to recover costs associated with these costly assets.
- Even though about 20% of paratransit customers need wheelchair-accessible vehicles, most traditional paratransit systems operate only wheelchair-accessible vehicles. These vehicles are more costly to buy, more costly to operate and more costly to maintain. American Logistics only utilizes wheelchair-accessible providers for customers who need wheelchair-accessible service. This allows us to keep costs down.
- The multi-provider transportation network maintained by American Logistics enables riders to choose their provider for each trip. This approach makes it possible for us to be exempted from a number of costly Federal Transportation regulatory requirements and policies, and we pass these savings on to our clients. Please note. At a community’s direction, American Logistics is able to operate service utilizing providers who meet all FTA regulatory requirements.
The amount of savings that American Logistics is able to offer relative to more traditional ADA paratransit will vary based on a number of factors, including the current design and cost of other competing transportation services and on the design of the community’s on-demand program. Please contact American Logistics for a free consultation.