AI-driven consultancy aims to address the ‘paratransit paradox’

A new strategic consultancy specialising in accessible transit strategy is seeking to help transit agencies tackle what it describes as the escalating “paratransit paradox” by unifying traditionally separate transit systems.

According to recently launched Kuban Transit Solutions (KTS), the North American public transit industry stands at a critical inflection point. KTS reckons that while the past decade established robust microtransit and paratransit technology capabilities, agencies now face the complex challenge of integrating these innovations with existing fixed-route networks to create truly unified mobility systems.

Growing community needs

“Transit agencies are facing unprecedented challenges, but they’re also surrounded by unprecedented opportunities,” said Stephen Kuban, CEO and principal of KTS. “The question isn’t whether technology can solve our accessibility and efficiency challenges – it’s whether we can implement these solutions fast enough and effectively enough to meet growing community needs.”

Kuban added: “The last 10 years have been about transit tech – the next decade is about AI accelerating effective transit strategy and putting it all together.”

“The question isn’t whether technology can solve our accessibility and efficiency challenges – it’s whether we can implement these solutions fast enough and effectively enough to meet growing community needs”

KTS aims to bridge this integration gap with proven frameworks that agencies can implement immediately. It claims its approach to the “One Transit Strategy” transforms the traditional paratransit paradox into both economic value and social value, creating systems where shorter paratransit trips reduce costs, fixed-route ridership increases, and riders with disabilities gain same-day service freedom.

The company’s approach centres on what it terms “sustainable transit strategies” – comprehensive frameworks that solve the paratransit paradox while strengthening entire transit networks rather than operating distinctly parallel systems.