As ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft continue to plow into the market share of the taxicab service industry, they have left corners of the personal mobility space open and exposed to competitors.
One such competitor is UZURV, an adaptive transportation network company (TNC) that provides door-to-door transportation– as opposed to curb-to-curb service – for disabled, elderly and non-emergency medical riders.
The original concept behind UZURV was a reservation matchmaking service built on top of Uber, but after Uber yanked access to its scheduling tool away from UZURV last year, the Richmond-based ride-sharing startup built its own backend software and became a TNC itself, establishing its independence as a pioneer of a lucrative niche in the future of transportation.
“We made a decision to pivot to a TNC and serve the municipal ADA and non-emergency medical transportation industry,” said John Donlon, CEO of UZURV and brother to Matt Donlon, the company’s co-founder.
John Donlon assumed the lead role at UZURV in May 2017 after holding multiple executive leadership positions at automation robotics corporations including Hurco, Honeywell and GE.
This pivot means that UZURV is aiming to augment the typical experience of the multi-loaded vans provided by cities that less-accessible riders rely on to get around, and instead offer a single-load, high-care ride experience with a trained and certified driver for ADA and non-emergency medical riders.
“We are a distinguished service offering a higher duty of care to a specific population,” said Donlon.
In January 2018, UZURV reported it had 58,000 driver app downloads, but Donlon said this figure was misleading. He preferred not to say how many drivers UZURV currently had: “We pull from the pool of drivers who support the contracted programs we have.”
Anyone who wants to become a UZURV driver must complete an online training regimen that mirrors the requirements for ADA compliance.
“Drivers vary from retired school teachers, EMTs, retirees and nurses,” said Trish Fitzpatrick, VP of corporate outreach. “Our drivers can choose to drive all the time or one day of the week, and know exactly how much they’ll get paid beforehand.” UZURV drivers make more than Uber and Lyft drivers, Donlon said.
Since the pivot, the tech startup finished raising a “seed-plus round” of $2.3 million earlier this year, said Donlon, which will allow it to scale contracts it has been awarded. Those include pilot programs in cities including Nashville, Phoenix, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Greensboro, N.C.
The Nashville pilot program was “so successful in six months, we were awarded a three-year contract with a two-year extension,” noted Donlon. “We take the hard-to-manage, expensive rides and make the system a lot smoother.”
While it may not be as mainstream as the more popular ride-sharing apps, UZURV’s new focus appears promising.
In 2019, new Medicare Advantage plans go live, UZURV is positioned to provide the non-medical transportation services included in the new plan, required by the government. The company is already providing rides for the American Cancer Society in 19 states and growing.
Jumping into startup life from a career in corporate America has given Donlon, along with his team of 28 employees, a greater sense of accountability and impact. “Everybody can resonate with our mission,” he said. “Everybody has a parent, grandparent, uncle or some relative with a disability or disadvantage. So when we offer a more personal and more caring ride service for our family members, everybody understands the value we provide.”
