ABSTRACT
In 1975, the City of Edmonton responded to the transportation (mobility) needs of physically disabled persons by establishing the Disabled Adult Transportation Service (DATS). This chapter presents the results of the DATS Demonstration Brokerage Project and revisits the operation to determine whether the dramatic improvements to the operation have been maintained since the completion of the Demonstration Project. The brokerage management concept implies that the agency scheduling and dispatching service is not necessarily the same as the operator of vehicles who contract to supply services. The broker’s responsibility is to schedule trip requests of eligible users and to dispatch the trips to a mix of private contractors who operate sedans (vans) both lift and non-lift equipped. Due to the delay in the implementation of the computer system, it was possible to evaluate the brokerage management concept in three different time frames: Pre-Brokerage, Brokerage Year 1 and Brokerage Year 2.
