Our History
Not everyone in Massachusetts has easy access to a personal vehicle or public transportation. Ride Match was designed to help fill the gaps and provide the state’s most vulnerable populations, and the agencies that serve them, with a way to easily identify all the transportation options within their communities.
In 2010, the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) was awarded a Mobility Management grant to develop an in-depth directory of transportation options that would enhance customer service by connecting people with the knowledge about transportation services in their community and how to use them.
To accomplish this goal, GATRA reached out and formed partnerships with multiple agencies and organizations as well as local taxi operators, private, public, non-profit and community-based organizations and created the Ride Match database and online resource.
Originally, Ride Match was intended to be a comprehensive database for Southeastern Massachusetts only, but other regions asked if they could participate in the project. In 2015, MassDOT awarded GATRA a Community Transit Grant to expand the database and four regional transit authorities agreed to participate in the pilot project. Today, all 15 regional transit authorities as well as the MBTA participate in the state-wide program, making Ride Match an essential service for area agencies, medical centers and individuals searching for accessible transportation options in Massachusetts.
History of RideMatch
2010
The Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) awarded a Mobility Management grant to design and implement services for older adults & people with disabilities
2011
Compiled the first inventory of transportation providers in Southeastern Massachusetts
2012
Launches the first Ride Match website in December 2012
2013
Launches a user-friendly mobile version of Ride Match
2014
Expands the database by adding MBTA commuter rail and bus data
2015
Received a Community Transit Grant (CTG) from MassDOT to expand database statewide – Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, Worcester Regional Transit Authority, Nantucket Regional Transit Authority, and Franklin Regional Transit Authority are the first RTAs to sign on
2016
Releases a RFP for new website redesign & branding to reflect Ride Match’s evolution from a regional to statewide resource – Feb. 2016
2016
Applies for another Community Transit Grant (CTG) to do geospatial mapping – Feb. 2016
2016
Selects Odonnell Company to do the Ride Match redesign – April 2016
2016
Unveils new branding and web design for the Ride Match site– November 2016
2017
Ride Match launches enhanced search feature utilizing Google Transit data that provides users with access to real-time transit schedules and step-by-step route information.
2019
Ride Match adds a new home page search function that allows users to search for transportation options by city or town