From missed calls to better care: how NJ TRANSIT improved paratransit with speed and empathy

When hold times meant missed connections

Marisol was trying to cancel her father’s ride to dialysis. His appointment had been moved, and she knew every missed pickup meant someone else might lose their seat. She called Access Link and waited. Five minutes passed. Then ten. She worried the driver was already on the way, and that no one else would have time to take his place.

This was a daily challenge for Access Link, NJ TRANSIT’s ADA paratransit service. While they had strong operational coverage, their contact center struggled to keep up with growing volume. Hold times increased. CSAT scores dropped. And staffing paratransit agents, who required long training cycles, was becoming harder every year.

Access Link needed something different. Not a full systems overhaul, but a way to meet fluctuating demand, serve multilingual and accessibility needs, and improve both rider and agent experience without adding to the burden.

"As a state agency, getting support to redo the whole company's phone system is hard to justify,” said Namecca Parker, General Manager of Paratransit/Access Link. “A solution like Replicant that complements what we do makes much more sense." 

Automation designed for how people ride

NJ TRANSIT partnered with Replicant to launch a faster, more accessible contact experience without disrupting their existing workflows. The focus was to handle their two highest-volume call types, checking ride status and canceling a ride, with Replicant’s AI agents.

Replicant’s AI agents were built to meet the needs of Access Link’s diverse rider base. Callers could check where their ride was or cancel a scheduled trip without waiting for a live agent. For more complex issues, agents could step in fully informed and with more time to help.

This freed up NJ TRANSIT’s trained paratransit agents to focus on conversations that needed empathy and nuance, instead of repeating basic updates. It also meant fewer rides were missed, misused, or double booked, which had both operational and human cost.

"With Replicant answering so many calls, supervisors actually get to supervise and coach agents, instead of helping out with the call queue themselves,” said Parker. “It's 'command' more than 'reprimand'. It's a career, not a job." 

Paratransit that moves with the people it serves

Within a month of going live, calls that did not need a human were resolved instantly. Wait times dropped to zero. Usage of the new system quickly surpassed the 9 percent ceiling of their old IVR. In just a few weeks, Access Link was automating 12,000 calls per week.

Instead of sitting on hold, caregivers like Marisol now get answers right away. Cancellations are processed on time. Seats are freed up for others. And agents have more space to focus on calls that truly need their help.

Thanks to Replicant’s AI agents, NJ TRANSIT now resolves high-volume requests with speed and care, while giving their team the tools and time to make a bigger impact.

Transformational results:

• 12,000 calls automated weekly
  
  
• 0-minute wait times for AI-resolved calls
  
  
• 45 percent resolution rate
  
  
• 4.3 out of 5 average CSAT
  
  
• 68 percent of callers gave a 5 out of 5
  
  

"If I had to give one piece of advice to any transportation contact center that hasn't started automating, it would be what are you waiting for?” asked Parker. “Any time you can increase employee satisfaction and get agents to stay longer, the return is astronomical."