CONSHOHOCKEN, PA — Suvoda has expanded its clinical trial transportation services to include rideshare booking through Lyft, Uber Health and Bolt, giving patients more direct control over study-related travel while reducing administrative demands on research sites and trial sponsors.
The Conshohocken-based clinical trial technology company introduced the capabilities through Greenphire Travel, its platform for coordinating transportation and accommodations for clinical research participants.
The expansion addresses a logistical obstacle to clinical trial participation. In a study by the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation, 49% of respondents who considered their clinical trial disruptive identified travel to study clinics as a contributing factor.
Under the updated system, participants can book eligible rides directly through the Suvoda App, with access to transportation providers varying by region.
The application also consolidates flight and hotel itineraries, rideshare status, study appointments, questionnaires and participant payments, allowing patients to manage multiple aspects of their trial participation through one interface.
For research sites, the changes introduce a simplified travel request process, trip-status tracking and secure messaging. Sponsors and contract research organizations receive additional reporting on transportation expenses and travel policy compliance across their studies.
“This release brings real-time trip status, consolidated reporting, and clearer cost information together into one streamlined experience,” Will Wing, Suvoda’s director of product, stated.
Suvoda is also offering two service models based on the complexity of individual studies.
A site-led option allows research teams to initiate routine travel arrangements directly, while a Concierge service provides individualized coordination for participants requiring more extensive assistance.
The Concierge operation includes coordinators stationed across more than 40 countries, with 24-hour support available throughout a participant’s trial.
The distinction is particularly relevant to studies involving patients with serious illnesses, including oncology and rare disease trials, where medical needs and travel requirements can complicate attendance at research appointments.
“Clinical trials vary enormously in complexity, and the travel support behind them should too,” Wing stated.
Covered travel expenses are funded upfront by trial sponsors, eliminating out-of-pocket payments for eligible services by patients, caregivers and research sites.
The arrangement removes the need for participants to pay for approved transportation or accommodations and subsequently seek reimbursement.
Greenphire Travel has supported more than 8,400 research sites across more than 2,000 clinical trials in over 50 countries, according to Suvoda.
The addition of rideshare integrations and expanded travel management capabilities extends that infrastructure as pharmaceutical sponsors and research organizations seek to reduce logistical barriers that can interfere with patient enrollment and continued trial participation.
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