Evey Trip Is Important
Ride Right’s shtick is celebrating ability and increasing independence in for transportation disadvantaged individuals through passenger safety. They provide paratransit, fixed route, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and other transportation services across the U.S. They’re a State of Missouri certified Woman Business Enterprise (WBE) that boasts management philosophies that complement their qualifications. At Ride Right, drivers place passengers’ well-being before all else, in the form of taking a child with autism on the same route each day-no matter the traffic–to prevent anxiety; having quiet jazz music ready for an older woman just out of dialysis; or sharing a comfortable silence with a young adult with epilepsy when he’s not in the mood to talk. With Ride Right, every trip is important.
The connection between passengers and the world they gain access to when riding with Ride Right is clear in design. Reflections of light beaming inward and outward through windows capture riders’ anticipation of being an active participator in vibrant communities. Colors and light flow fluidly; there are no barriers between you and your favorite grocery store, a checkup at the dentist, or a haircut. Depictions of people and places and vehicles are softened; while transportation is a vital need that can be difficult to arrange, it doesn’t feel complicated in the hands of a Ride Right driver. When passengers are the greatest priority, everything else falls into place.
Ride Right’s goal is to provide value not just to just transit agencies, but to the city and people behind it–its citizens, the local businesses they patronize, the organizations that provide them medical care. Ride Right doesn’t submit a proposal for business unless an organization’s values resemble their family-owned, employee-focused culture; being so invested in the intricate parts of an organization long-term requires mutual respect and benefit. With large company resources behind a smaller company philosophy, you wouldn’t even guess Ride Right has 17 operating locations in 11 states, and provides more than 1.2 million trips per year for 1.1 million passengers. But it’s not about being the biggest–its about being the best and the most compassionate.
Marketing strategy for Ride Right comes in the form of sensitivity training webinars featuring thought leaders who themselves have disabilities, entering employees in Florida Triple Crown Bus Roadeos to set industry standards in their communities, and mailings to local neighborhoods with information on how Ride Right is advocating for public transit in their area. Every community is important, every bus line is important, every vehicle maintenance item is important–every trip is important.
