Building off the success of the Sun Tran COA, TMD is currently working with Sun Tran to complete a COA of Sun Tran’s paratransit service, Sun Van. The project began with a peer review, which compared Sun Van’s service performance with peer systems. TMD then conducted a comprehensive evaluation of Sun Van’s service, examining current policies, procedures, service coverage, and performance metrics, including trip patterns, ridership data, subscription services, operational efficiency metrics, and cost performance, to identify areas for improvement.

TMD facilitated two rounds of public engagement to gather customer input and share the proposed improvements. TMD is currently finalizing recommendations based on community input. The recommendations are focused on enhancing operational efficiency, such as better scheduling, call handling, as well as improving the customer experience of Sun Van’s service. The recommendations have also explored the use of new technologies, alternative service models like Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), and cost-control strategies for their fare-free environment. TMD will be preparing a final report that summarizes the findings and prioritizes the recommendations.