New MCTS app drives to make a difference for riders with disabilities

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) has launched a real-time transit app to better serve thousands of riders with disabilities.

It's called My Transit Manager and it's free to download either on a smartphone or on the web.

The app, which is available in English or Spanish, can also be used with screen reading technology for those who are visually impaired.

“People with disabilities are looking for equity and that’s something that’s key to Milwaukee County and Milwaukee County Transit," said Fran Musci, the paratransit director for the MCTS. “We’re seeking to give people the best ride that we possibly can.”

How it works is users now have the ability to track where their scheduled ride is. They can also share their location with a caregiver or family, get notifications about their ride, see who their driver is, and even rate the drive with feedback going directly to MCTS.

It's the first time in Milwaukee County that users have this access -- but Musci added that their paratransit riders have been asking for something like this for years.

Officials said they previously had two separate paratransit providers that had different data.

“It was very difficult to implement a single solution that would serve everybody across the county," Musci said.

But now they've transitioned into only one provider -- TransDev, an international private transport company based out of France, who helped develop the app.

“The hardest thing for the riders is waiting and not knowing when your van is going to come," Musci said. “Paratransit riders need the service to be able to get to work and to the doctor and to be able to live independently in Milwaukee County and so this is just another tool that will help give them better service.”