The Delicate Balance of Microtransit Service Vs
THE SOURCE FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION NEWS AND ANALYSIS MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2019 | VOLUME 77, NO. 15 The Delicate Balance Of Microtransit Service vs. Efficiency, or Transformational Opportunity vs. Just the Latest Fad? BY KATHERINE LEWIS WITH MANY PUBLIC TRANSIT neighborhoods without inconvenienc- or are you going to give a little piece AGENCIES seeing declining ridership in ing residents in the way full-size buses to everybody and have lower service?” recent years, and technology advances would. Meanwhile, the cost of these asked Jameson Auten, senior vice facilitating scheduling of small-capacity smaller, more nimble vehicles makes the president of operations and innovation vehicles, many systems are looking to service more affordable to provide and for the Kansas City Area (MO) Transpor- microtransit to improve customer ser- the convenience of on-demand sched- tation Authority (KCATA). “In the places vice and expand their service area. This uling makes it more appealing to riders where we need coverage, how do on- feeds into changing customer expecta- than existing paratransit. demand services fill those gaps?” tions—thanks to disruptive technology But in exploring microtransit, public To maximize your agency’s opportunity across a range of industries—for transit professionals should be aware for success, be sure to plan carefully, everything at our fingertips, from food of the many factors they will need to communicate with your customers, through DoorDash to movies on Netflix balance. As you expand the service launch the service aggressively enough and rides via Uber and Lyft. area, you risk increasing wait times. The to be noticed, expect to adapt and never Microtransit holds the potential of more closely you try to meet customers’ take your eye from the prize, driving bringing new riders to fixed routes, expectations of a personalized experi- efficiency as microtransit gets underway, reaching suburban areas seeing the ence, the more your costs will rise.
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