Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) serves one of Florida's fastest-growing regions, and it's become a model for what demand-responsive transit can look like when it's done well. Working with Spare, PSTA brought its ADA, Transportation Disadvantaged (TD), MOD, and microtransit services onto one connected platform, building one of the most integrated transit networks in the country.

That includes ADA paratransit through its Access program, the Transportation Disadvantaged program, same-day trips through its MOD program, and service built for seniors and riders with disabilities.
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What sets PSTA apart

PSTA became the first U.S. agency to run six mixed fleets on one platform, proving how far a single system can scale. That scale shows up across performance, reach, and volume. 

Digital adoption is climbing just as fast, giving riders more ways to book, pay, and qualify for service. More than half of PSTA's trips now happen without anyone needing to pick up the phone or wait for help. The rider app accounts for 22.6% of bookings on its own, and AI Voice is handling a growing share of inbound calls. Add in recurring trips that riders set up once and reuse, and the combined total comes out to over 50% of trips booked without a live assist. 
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The challenge facing PSTA

Before Spare, PSTA ran paratransit and on-demand service on separate systems that didn't talk to each other. Riders sat on hold for a long time. Staff answered every call themselves, even simple ones, and queues sometimes reached 40 people waiting at once. On top of that, staff had to manage six other fleets by hand, since nothing was connected.

PSTA needed a way to grow service without growing costs, and to make things better for riders and staff at the same time.
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One platform, and a more efficient call center

PSTA made the switch to Spare back in December 2021. That one move brought paratransit, on-demand, and microtransit onto a single platform and connected six outside fleets to it.

By September 2025, the agency was ready to go further, and it wanted to be clear about why. PSTA turned on Spare AI Voice to help answer calls for its Access (ADA paratransit) and Mobility on Demand (MOD) lines, alongside its call center staff, not instead of them.

AI Voice handles routine requests like booking rides, giving ETAs, cancelling trips, and checking eligibility. It connects straight to PSTA's reservation system, so it already knows a rider's usual pickup spot or how they like to pay. And it can answer calls no matter how many come in at once, so no rider waits in a queue during a busy stretch or gets an unanswered line during off-hours.

Staff are still there for the calls where someone needs to talk through a specific situation, or just wants a person on the other end. PSTA made sure everyone knew that going in. Riders got a public press release explaining how AI Voice works. Staff got the same message internally that this technology is here to work alongside them, not replace them.
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Faster calls, shorter waits, more time for staff

From October 2025 through June 2026, AI Voice handled 130,643 calls. This equates to 40% of all inbound call volume across PSTA's Access and MOD lines. The impact on the call center was immediate and sustained:

AI Voice handles calls at a cost of roughly $0.71 per call, compared to $1.91 per call for reservation agents, less than half the cost. On the MOD line, where AI Voice handles 40% of calls, average wait times dropped from 1:23 to 0:38, a 54% reduction. Abandoned calls on the MOD line fell by 43%.

Today, most calls that still reach a person are from riders who prefer speaking with someone directly, or who have more complex needs that require nuanced thought and human assistance. At the same time, they’ve been able to capture all of this value without hiring for open positions, effectively offsetting the cost of at least one staff member as a result.
 

Getting staff on board

Rather than replacing staff, PSTA explained that AI Voice would handle the repetitive calls, freeing employees to focus on the more complex and meaningful interactions. Staff who used to answer every call now had more time for scheduling and handling exceptions, the kind of work that needs a person.

PSTA also built in a way for staff to share feedback on how AI Voice was working. That feedback loop built trust over time. When staff felt heard, they used the tool more, and that use is what made it better.
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Why the platform matters just as much

AI Voice is only part of the story. Since PSTA switched to Spare, trips per vehicle hour have improved from 0.93 at the start of the Spare launch to 1.04, and on-time performance has climbed from 92% to 96.8%.

Day to day, the platform now runs a large, reliable operation for PSTA:

Open Fleets (non-dedicated service vehicles operated by third-party partners) now handle 60% of PSTA's trips. That's 25,000 to 29,000 rides each month booked through partner providers on the Spare platform. In 2025 alone, 314,175 trips were dispatched automatically through Spare’s Open Fleets, reducing dispatcher costs.
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Annual savings with Spare

Spare has delivered measurable cost avoidance across three categories:

Ross Silvers, ADA Compliance and Community Officer at PSTA, says the platform is what holds it all together.

 "Spare is the backbone that makes it possible. Everything connects to it. It gives us a strong, consistent integration, which is essential for real-time tracking and shared information." — Ross Silvers, ADA Compliance & Community Officer, PSTA

On its own, AI Voice handles 40% of inbound calls at less than half the cost per call of a reservation agent. But it works even better tied to the rest of the platform. Rider info follows across every channel, eligibility checks feed straight into bookings, and 29 fleets, both PSTA's own and outside partners, all run on one system instead of many.
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Digital eligibility, from paper to digital

PSTA also digitized its eligibility process. Before, paper applications and manual data entry dominated, and staff fielded constant calls from applicants asking about case status.

With Spare Eligibility, PSTA brought ADA paratransit and recertification workflows onto one system. Riders submit applications and check status through a digital portal, available 24/7. Staff get automated letter generation, smart document scanning, and digital medical verification. All of it runs in one case management flow.

Since launching digital eligibility in December 2023, PSTA has created 2,500 eligibility cases through the portal.

Because eligibility runs on the same platform as booking and dispatch, status, conditions, and expiration dates are enforced automatically on every trip. And when a rider calls to check eligibility, AI Voice answers without putting them through to a person.

 "Something that surprised us with Spare, was seeing the level of development with the eligibility component. It's different from a check-a-box application, it's much more user-centric design. We built out our eligibility system through customizations with Spare in a way that fit our needs, we have a lot of confidence and reliability in our system." — Ross Silvers, ADA Compliance & Community Officer, PSTA

Looking ahead

PSTA's story shows what's possible when a transit agency builds around one connected system. Service grows without costs growing alongside it. Staff get time back for the work that actually needs them. Riders, especially those who depend on transit most, get a better ride.

PSTA is continuously building toward that goal, to be the people's first choice for transportation and helping the Tampa Bay community thrive.