Link2Support is a web-based application that helps people discover the essential services they need and provides transportation options to help access them.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a stark reminder that during disaster response and recovery every member of our community must have access to the essential health and human services they need, including: health care; emergency information; food and nutrition support; shelter and housing assistance; addiction prevention and rehabilitation; and services for veterans.

As a virtual trip aggregator, Link2Support assembles information on every available transportation mode needed to complete the trip, and delivers the options that are best tailored to the individual’s needs and circumstances. This easy-to-use website application can put autonomy in people’s hands for transportation and delivery services.

Connecting People with Essential Services

Individuals with needs, and those who assist them, can be overwhelmed by the time, cost and convenience tradeoffs when reviewing trip or other access options. Link2Support simplifies the trip planning process by assessing eligibility requirements and individual needs, enabling evaluations of one’s options and providing call center or social service staff with the necessary information to identify appropriate resources .

Who Benefits from Link2Support

Individuals Can…

Find services that are most accessible to them using available options.
Access delivery services or specialized/safe transportation to health care or testing facilities, if eligible.
Use subsidized Lyft transportation for qualified services.

Transit Agencies and 211 Organizations Can…

Enable travelers to book and manage their own paratransit trips and compare the cost with fixed-route services.
Improve capacity by reducing the number of phone calls into transit agency call centers.
Gain deeper insight into unmet needs through data and analysis of planned trips, booked trips and options returned.

Mobility Managers Can…

Set up accounts for individual travelers, noting their preferences, program eligibility and travel limitations.
Identify and book transportation options that leverage available programs and subsidies.
Empower travelers to research and manage their own transportation plans.
Develop comprehensive reports of services provided and gaps in existing offerings.

Health Care Professionals Can…

Identify and book transportation options for patients the moment a medical appointment is scheduled.
Find cost-effective transportation options for discharged patients.
Help manage repetitive or recurring transportation to ensure consistent attendance at preventative care.
Receive real-time updates on the status of patients taking public transportation (eg., on time, delayed, missed).
Package transportation to specific healthcare facilities as part of a complete care solution.

Key Features

Account Management

All user accounts include a name, email address and password. Users also have a travel profile that includes information on their program eligibility, travel preferences/limitations, memorized locations and a trip plan history.

Trip Discovery

Trip planning allows users to identify the most appropriate options for a particular trip, evaluating and identifying options that include fixed-route transit, demand-responsive transit, taxi and other private transportation services, paratransit, and volunteer transportation service networks.

Comments and Feedback

Link2Support can request feedback from registered users via email and an online survey. Agency and System Administrators can access the feedback—related to trip plans, options or travel experience for a specific location, provider or route—and use it to improve service.

Transportation Provider Data

Providers can manage information about their organization and services, including regions served, fare structure, provisions for wheelchairs and service animals, schedules and contact information.

Administrative Functions

Agency Administrators can edit information about their agency, while System Administrators can upload, create and edit schedule data, service data, partner agency data and Agency Administrator accounts. They can also access traveler feedback.

Reports

Link2Support produces a standard set of reports and each deployment includes a handful of custom reports designed to meet the specific needs of the client agency, allowing it to assess the use and benefits of the system and translate ridership data into actionable knowledge about its riders’ transportation needs and travel patterns.

Highlights of Link2Support

Robust and Flexible

Tailor trip planning options to specific needs, choices and schedules for each individual, based on factors including age, physical mobility limitations, Medicaid eligibility, veterans’ eligibility, and tradeoff preferences for time, cost and convenience.

Secure Data Storage

Centralize and store data securely to generate a variety of reports to help manage operations more efficiently.

Responsive Design

The platform runs on laptops, tablets, kiosks and smartphones, while supporting multiple languages.

Technical Specifications

As a platform built using 1-Click, Link2Support is a responsive, web-based application designed to operate on personal computers, tablets, smart phones and specially designed interactive kiosks. It supports the current and immediate previous versions of the four major web browsers (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari and Firefox). It can be securely hosted via Amazon Web Services or hosted via a client IT facility. It is built using Ruby, Ruby on Rails, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and JQuery. It uses both Google Maps and OpenStreetMap, a component of OpenTripPlanner.

Link2Support can also be deployed as a custom iOS or Android App.