Well-designed Microtransit services can be a solution for cities to improve and re-energize transit.
The on-demand shuttles in a Microtransit service can be designed and deployed to serve low density areas, address coverage gaps, and connect essential workers to workplaces/industrial parks, thus improving equity and access to jobs.
Well-designed Microtransit shows promise
Well-designed Microtransit services can be a solution for cities to improve and re-energize transit.
The on-demand shuttles in a Microtransit service can be designed and deployed to serve low density areas, address coverage gaps, and connect essential workers to workplaces/industrial parks, thus improving equity and access to jobs.
Key Criteria for Microtransit Success
A successful microtransit solution must meet local mobility needs and be well-integrated into the transit system in ways that truly improve travel patterns and convenience for passengers.
Microtransit services need to have a strong value proposition in order to deliver high enough load factors and grouping rates (number of riders sharing the trip) to make the service financially sustainable compared to the costs of operating fixed route buses.
Key criteria for Microtransit success include:
1.
Services that are genuinely needed and valued by riders in their daily mobility.
2.
Guaranteed, reliable pick-ups and drop-offs at transit hubs that are tightly coordinated with real-time transit arrivals and departures to ensure seamless connections and minimal waiting time.
3.
Service that is well-designed, easy, seamless and hassle-free.
4.
Continual improvement of the service based on ridership usage data.
5.
Integration with transit ticketing system for easy booking and payment.
6.
High levels of optimization of drivers, grouping of passengers, and efficiency with miles traveled and time spent in the vehicle.
7.
Clear and easy-to-understand promotion of the service to encourage trust and adoption.
Key criteria for microtransit success include:
1.
Services that are genuinely needed and valued by riders in their daily mobility.
2.
Guaranteed, reliable pick-ups and drop-offs at transit hubs that are tightly coordinated with real-time transit arrivals and departures to ensure seamless connections and minimal waiting time.
3.
Service that is well-designed, easy, seamless and hassle-free.
4.
Continual improvement of the service based on ridership usage data.
5.
Integration with transit ticketing system for easy booking and payment.
6.
High levels of optimization of drivers, grouping of passengers, and efficiency with miles traveled and time spent in the vehicle.
7.
Clear and easy-to-understand promotion of the service to encourage trust and adoption.
What we believe and have learned:
We believe Microtransit services can thrive as part of the service mix for some transit agencies. Key learnings from Microtransit pilots:
1.
“Real-time” service is not always expected by riders and reasonable “near real-time” has been fully accepted.
A. In France, Microtransit riders readily accept they must book return trips from their office to the transit hub (via app or phone) at least 30 minutes in advance.
2.
Other reasonable constraints are also acceptable to riders, if well communicated:
A. Must take a short walk to a pick-up point.
B. Service only in peak hours or only at night.
3.
Advantages to transit agency of employing these constraints:
A. Helps optimize the grouping rate.
B. Contributes to fewer miles traveled and less time spent in the vehicle.
C. Improves the economic efficiency of the service.
