How Waco Transit boosted on-time performance with Spare’s platform

How Waco Transit modernized operations with Spare

Waco Transit has modernized its operations with Spare, achieving record-setting on-time performance and higher rider satisfaction. By unifying rural and urban paratransit, microtransit, and Medicaid/NEMT trips on one platform, the agency now operates with greater visibility, efficiency, and agility. This transformation also reflects the strength of Waco’s team—embracing automation and new workflows to deliver consistent, reliable service.

Challenge: Low on-time performance and service fragmentation

Prior to adopting Spare’s platform, Waco Transit faced significant challenges with on-time performance (OTP) languishing in the low 60% range. WTS relied on multiple disconnected systems to manage a diverse array of services: rural and urban paratransit, microtransit, and Medicaid/NEMT trips. Each system required high levels of manual intervention, which placed a heavy burden on schedulers, dispatchers, and operators. Visibility into subcontractor performance was limited, and managing overlapping services across platforms led to inefficiencies and inconsistencies.

Transitioning to a single platform wasn’t without its challenges. Migrating operations teams, driver workflows, and scheduling protocols to Spare’s automated, centralized system required a period of adjustment. This shift from high-touch, manual control to data-driven automation marked a turning point in Waco's evolution. Communication gaps with subcontractors further limited their ability to ensure accountability.

“Our team worked together really well - they helped each other out, they answered each other's questions and took the time to share among each other. It’s all about communication and teamwork, in addition to having high volume of rides, and partially learning on the fly.” - Michele Garcia, Mobility Manager, Waco Transit System

Building team capacity through collaboration and technology

Waco’s successful transformation was driven by a strong, collaborative team. Instead of top-down mandates, staff supported each other in adapting to Spare’s tools, sharing knowledge and solving problems together. This peer-led effort, paired with Spare’s responsive onboarding and training, helped the team quickly grasp automation and optimize workflows—fostering a culture of innovation and long-term change.

The cornerstone of Waco’s successful transformation lay in the strength of its team. Rather than relying solely on top-down directives, Waco Transit fostered a collaborative environment where staff helped one another adapt to the new platform. Team members took initiative to explore Spare’s tools, shared learnings across roles, and problem-solved collectively. This peer-driven approach was bolstered by Spare’s active support through onboarding guidance, responsive training resources, and ongoing knowledge sharing. The combination of internal teamwork and external partnership accelerated their comfort with automation and system logic, enabling the team to identify efficiencies and optimize workflows. The result was a culture of innovation that empowered Waco to embrace long-term operational change with confidence.

Solution: Unified platform and real-time visibility

Spare deployed a unified platform that brought all of Waco’s services together in one place:

• Service types integrated:
  
  • Rural and urban paratransit
  • Microtransit (locally branded “Microdash”)
  • Medicaid/NEMT trips (currently managed through manual imports)
  • Evening and weekend service called “Evening Link,” where paratransit vehicles commingle to serve general microtransit riders
    
• Operational transparency: For the first time, Waco gained complete visibility into all services operated both in house and by subcontractors, enabling real-time performance monitoring and improved accountability.
  
  

Results: Dramatic gains in performance and empowered riders

On-time performance soars
Waco’s OTP surged from the low 60s to 95%, the highest in the agency’s history. While 60–70% of this improvement came from returning drivers post-shortage, Spare’s platform alone delivered a 10% efficiency gain even at the same staffing levels as before.

Rider satisfaction at record highs
Through the in-app review system, riders have expressed overwhelming satisfaction:

• 97% positive reviews all-time
• 99% positivity in the most recent month

App usage indicates growing independence

• 20% of all bookings platform-wide now come through the app
• Paratransit and rural service app usage already exceeds 10% — a strong signal that riders are gaining greater independence

App adoption for rural and paratransit services has already surpassed 10%, driven by Waco’s proactive and rider-focused approach. While assisting riders and caregivers over the phone, schedulers take the opportunity to share how to download and use the app to book trips independently. In addition, callers waiting on hold hear custom messaging that encourages them to download the app as an alternative to waiting—an initiative the Waco team implemented themselves as part of their commitment to accessibility and innovation.

“The app gives our riders that independence,” said Jessica Clark, Marketing Director at Waco Transit Systems, noting that even if a trip isn’t booked digitally, riders can still track their vehicle’s location in real time.‍

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Online fare payment gives riders more independence

One of the most celebrated features among riders was online fare payment. In the past, many depended on friends or family to obtain fare tickets in person. Now, riders can handle this independently through the app — a small but meaningful change that reflects a broader shift toward self-reliance and convenience.

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Benefits of complete service integration

Operating multiple services through a single platform via Spare has empowered Waco Transit with:

• Streamlined operations: Staff can monitor and manage all services — paratransit, microtransit, Medicaid trips — simultaneously.
• Improved resource utilization: Evening Link’s commingled service maximizes vehicle use by serving both paratransit and microtransit riders in one combined fleet.
• Unified rider experience: Riders benefit from consistent service quality across modes, with easy digital booking options and accurate ETAs.

Waco Transit sets a new standard for mid-sized agency innovation

When asked what advice would she give to other transit agencies looking to make this kind of change, what advice would you give them, Michele mentioned,

“Be patient, be willing to learn and trust the process. Make sure everyone is working together and sharing tips and trips. It's not just about implementing a new software, you need to reframe the way you think about the service with new capabilities that will drive innovation and efficiency for the entire system!”

Waco Transit’s journey with Spare shows how a mid-sized agency can streamline operations, empower staff, and deliver consistent service through a unified platform. With data-driven decision-making and stronger team collaboration, Waco is now a model for agencies looking to modernize paratransit and on-demand services.

Want to explore how Spare can help your agency modernize paratransit operations? Contact our team to start the conversation.

You can also learn more about Waco Transit System’s service offerings here.

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