BrabsonJASON BRABSON’S HEART ACHES for the injustice he’s seen.

His most recent career has been as a mobility cab driver, and he’s directly seen how cruel transportation can be for the disabled and elderly.  Public options aren’t great in this town, and private companies don’t treat their passengers well at all.

So Jason’s fixing it.

His business, Heart & Soul Paratransit, is dedicated to the idea that customer care should come first.  Not just pick’em’up and drop’em’off, but truly caring for his customers’ well-being in the broader sense.

A typical cab company might put a disabled person on the bottom of their list, because of the extra hassle.  So a two hour dialysis session at the hospital can easily turn into an all-day affair, waiting hours on both ends and dealing with missed commitments.

Jason has seen too many examples, so he decided to address it.

His business – just getting off the ground now – focuses on serving the transportation needs for the disabled and elderly in northern Colorado.  He’s different because he cares deeply about the experience of his customers, so he goes well beyond just the basic taxi services.

It may be as simple as waiting a few extra minutes and helping with proper securing of wheelchairs and seatbelts.  Or working with more complicated schedules, doctors, nursing homes, and random errands.

I found out that Medicare and Medicaid provides financial support for transportation.  Beyond that, the system can break down quickly.  In many cases, the government may be paying too much for a simple service.  Or taxi companies prioritize handicap needs at the bottom of their list.  And there’s little recourse for resolution of complaints.

This leaves people discouraged and disenfranchised.

Jason is at the stage where his passion for fixing this problem is driving his progress.  He’s looking to hire people who are caregivers first and drivers second, who are always focused on serving and satisfying customers rather than just driving them around.

But this is a regulated industry, so there’s lots of government hoops to jump through.  Then there’s the investment in equipment, and forming partnerships with organizations who will connect him with customers.

Jason’s out to change the world, one trip at a time.