{"id":41213,"date":"2026-07-22T01:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T23:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stocks-future.com\/?guid=87edf15e71e4b4347da69cc19c64fba3"},"modified":"2026-07-22T01:15:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T23:15:00","slug":"western-riverside-county-expands-paratransit-access-with-onwards-assisted-rideshare-a-new-model-for-meeting-rider-demand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/?p=41213","title":{"rendered":"Western Riverside County Expands Paratransit Access with Onward\u2019s Assisted Rideshare \u2014 A New Model for Meeting Rider Demand"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nOnward's Companion Rides, deployed in partnership with Transdev, gives paratransit-eligible riders across the full RTA service region access when they need it most.<\/i><\/p><\/a><\/a>

RIVERSIDE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--#NEMT<\/a>--Onward<\/a>, an Assisted Transportation Network Company (TNC), in collaboration with Transdev, one of North America's largest public transit operators, expanded Onward\u2019s rideshare service, Companion Rides, across the full Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) paratransit service region.<\/p>

\nCompanion Rides launched in the Dial-A-Ride (DAR) service area in February 2026, across key population hubs, to build elasticity and flexibility into the state\u2019s 4th-largest paratransit program. Since the launch, Onward maintained a 99.1% ride fulfillment rate and is now expanding its coverage footprint to support DAR\u2019s complete service area. This means Companion Rides are now available to every paratransit-eligible DAR rider.<\/p>

\nRTA paratransit-eligible riders can access Companion Rides through the standard RTA DAR scheduling system. For more information on eligibility and scheduling, visit RiversideTransit.com<\/a> or call RTA Dial-A-Ride directly at (800) 795-7887.<\/p>

\n\u201cDial-A-Ride ridership continues to rise as the population ages,\u201d said Jim Steiner, RTA Board Chair. \u201cThis new augmented paratransit service bridges an important gap, ensuring RTA provides the best possible experience to our most transit-dependent riders.\u201d<\/p>

\nOnward hires and trains a workforce of Federal Transit Administration (FTA) compliant Companion Drivers to provide assisted door-to-door rides. The service meets the FTA compliance requirements for public transit contracts.<\/p>

\nAs the contracted operator supporting RTA\u2019s DAR program, Transdev sought solutions that provided flexible capacity to address peak demand. The assisted rideshare service operates as a non-dedicated overflow service: when daily trip demand exceeds the capacity of the primary DAR fleet, Companion Rides fills the gap.<\/p>

\n\u201cThe riders we serve don\u2019t have a backup plan and rely on us to help strengthen their transit connection to vital services, like going to medical appointments. Our aim is to optimize agency operations in collaboration with our partners at Transdev while delivering an exceptional experience for RTA riders,\u201d said Kim Petty, Co-Founder and CEO of Onward. \u201cExpanding our footprint across the full RTA region means more riders now have options to improve reliability and timeliness.\u201d<\/p>

\nThe integration of Onward into paratransit operations reflects a broader shift in how transit operators are thinking about service delivery \u2014 combining traditional dedicated fleets with flexible, tech-enabled non-dedicated transportation options to improve both on-time performance and overall service fulfillment.<\/p>

\n\"Our focus is on delivering reliable, consistent service to paratransit riders,\" said Rich Rogers, Senior Vice President, Southwest, Transdev. \"Supplemental options like assisted rideshare help us meet that commitment to our clients, passengers, and communities while supporting flexibility across the system.\u201d<\/p>

\nMore About Onward<\/b><\/p>

\nOnward provides FTA-compliant assisted rideshare services to transit agencies, health plans, and managed care organizations across California. Its Companion Rides service connects riders who need more than standard transportation with trained drivers who provide real, hands-on assistance from door to door. Learn more at onwardrides.com<\/a>.<\/p>

\nMore About Riverside Transit Agency<\/b><\/p>

\nThe Riverside Transit Agency provides public transportation for western Riverside County, operating 32 local fixed routes, three commuter express routes, on-demand microtransit service and senior and disabled Dial-A-Ride service. RTA\u2019s service area spans 2,500 square miles, among the largest in the nation. For bus route and schedule information contact RTA at 951.565.5002 or visit RiversideTransit.com<\/a>.<\/p> Contacts<\/b>

\nMedia Contact: Eric Liddle\nEmail Address: eric.liddle@onwardrides.com<\/a>Onward Health Inc.<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Onward’s Companion Rides, deployed in partnership with Transdev, gives paratransit-eligible riders across the full RTA service region access when they need it most.RIVERSIDE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#NEMT–Onward, an Assisted Transportation Network C…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-infos-businesswire"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41213"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41214,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41213\/revisions\/41214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stocks-future.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}