The RIDE Flex
Sign Up Now
If you’re already a RIDE customer, you can sign up for The RIDE Flex if:
- Your RIDE account does not have a negative balance.
- Your RIDE account is not currently suspended.
- Your RIDE account is not set to expire within the next month.
Not already a RIDE customer? Apply for The RIDE
To sign up for The RIDE Flex, you'll need your:
- RIDE ID number
- Contact information
- Choice of provider (Uber of Lyft)
Within 10 business days, you’ll get an email with next steps to complete registration.
Note: Previous participants in The RIDE Flex on-demand pilot must re-enroll to participate in the program.
What It Is
The RIDE Flex is a flexible, on-demand travel option for eligible RIDE customers. The RIDE is the MBTA’s paratransit service for people who can’t use the subway, bus, or trolley all or some of the time due to temporary or permanent disability. The RIDE Flex grew out of a pilot project and doesn’t replace The RIDE. It just gives you more options when planning your trips.
Flex customers can schedule trips at any time directly with providers Uber and Lyft. Flex customers can also schedule trips through The RIDE Access Center (TRAC), and these trips may be shifted from a RIDE vehicle to an Uber or Lyft vehicle based on availability. If you do not want a particular trip shifted, let TRAC know when scheduling your trip.
Note: The RIDE Flex does not offer traditional ADA paratransit-level service. Customers may ask drivers for assistance getting into and out of the vehicle, but we can’t guarantee that drivers will provide door-to-door service.
How It Works
Just as with The RIDE, you can take trips anywhere in our service area, including to the airport. Drop off and pick up at the airport will be in a designated parking lot for Uber and Lyft, not at the terminal doors.
Two Ways to Schedule Trips
-
On-demand trips
-
Once you sign up with your chosen provider, you’ll be able to request a vehicle at any time by entering your trip details into Uber’s and Lyft’s smartphone apps.
If you don’t have a smartphone, you can call Lyft to book rides. Unfortunately, you cannot call Uber to book rides.
After you sign up and have been approved, Uber and Lyft will provide instructions on how to set up your account. Lyft will provide additional instructions on how to call to book rides.
Booking trips on demand with Uber or Lyft is currently the only option for same-day trips.
-
TRAC-scheduled trips with your chosen Flex provider
-
When booking a trip through TRAC, The RIDE will be able to send either a RIDE vehicle or a vehicle from Uber or Lyft. TRAC’s software will determine the most efficient vehicle option based on the time and route of your trip. On the day of your trip, we will let you know whether your ride will be with your chosen Flex provider.
If you would prefer to have the door-to-door service The RIDE provides, you can decline having any trip shifted over to Uber or Lyft on a trip-by-trip basis. Just let your reservationist know when you schedule or call TRAC at 844-427-7433 by 5 PM the day before your trip to request this.
Trips through TRAC must be scheduled one to five days in advance.
Prices
Prices vary and depend on whether you schedule a trip on demand or through TRAC.
Monthly Trip Allocations
To keep the Flex program affordable and sustainable, customers have a cap on how many subsidized trips they are allocated each month. We determine the number of subsidized trips you can take per month using the criteria in the table below.
| Type of rider | Number of monthly subsidized trips | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type of rider | Frequent RIDE user | Number of monthly subsidized trips | Based on how often you use The RIDE. We do not increase trip allocations upon request. |
| Type of rider | Occasional or new RIDE user | Number of monthly subsidized trips | Two trips to start. We review trip allocations every six months and will notify you if the number of your trips increases. |
Once you have completed the sign-up process, your monthly trips will activate automatically. At the beginning of each month, your trips will reset. Unused subsidized trips do not roll over to the next month.
You can still use your chosen provider once you use all your trips for the month, but we will not subsidize the cost.
Mask Policy
Our RIDE Flex partners Uber and Lyft have lifted their mask mandates for drivers and riders. Masks are now optional.
Service Animal Policy
Service animals can be brought on any Flex trip.
Uber and Lyft both have a zero-tolerance policy for drivers' rejection of service animals and will remove drivers from the platform for violating this policy.
If a driver is violating the policy, contact Uber or Lyft so they can act as soon as possible. Please also report these complaints to The RIDE so we can work with our contractors to ensure these complaints are handled appropriately.
Who to Contact for Assistance
Hear From RIDE Flex Customers
Paula
Brighton, MA
RIDE customer for 25 years
Since signing up for the pilot, Paula feels like her world has expanded. She can run errands on a moment’s notice, visit friends more, and be flexible with appointment changes.
She says, “It has bettered my life. It has given me the chance to get out and do things I couldn’t before.”
Oscar
Norwood, MA
RIDE customer for 10 years
Oscar loves his shorter commute and the extra time it gives him to relax in the evenings. He books The RIDE in advance for appointments but likes using The RIDE Flex to get home – he can call for a vehicle as soon as he’s ready to leave!
He says, “I feel less isolated with [Flex]. I can come and go as I feel I need to.”
The RIDE
The RIDE is a paratransit service for people who are unable to use the MBTA’s other modes some or all of the time.
Hear From RIDE Flex Customers
Paula
Brighton, MA
RIDE customer for 25 years
Since signing up for the pilot, Paula feels like her world has expanded. She can run errands on a moment’s notice, visit friends more, and be flexible with appointment changes.
She says, “It has bettered my life. It has given me the chance to get out and do things I couldn’t before.”
Oscar
Norwood, MA
RIDE customer for 10 years
Oscar loves his shorter commute and the extra time it gives him to relax in the evenings. He books The RIDE in advance for appointments but likes using The RIDE Flex to get home – he can call for a vehicle as soon as he’s ready to leave!
He says, “I feel less isolated with [Flex]. I can come and go as I feel I need to.”
The RIDE
The RIDE is a paratransit service for people who are unable to use the MBTA’s other modes some or all of the time.