Public transit services in American small and rural communities face various challenges today, including low population density, operator shortages, and limited or infrequent coverage. At the same time, these mobility services have become increasingly essential, especially for people who are aging, low-income, or experiencing disabilities. Problems like these demonstrate the need for transportation services to address mobility insecurity, a phenomenon where individuals lack access to adequate and reliable transportation. Wilson, a small city in eastern North Carolina, found itself navigating these exact challenges. With an underutilized bus system and high rates of poverty, the City of Wilson saw an opportunity to transition its fixed-route transit system into RIDE, an on-demand microtransit system. RIDE launched in September 2020 and, after successfully applying for an Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) grant from the Federal Transit Administration, expanded its service hours both in the morning and evening.
Source: https://learn.sharedusemobilitycenter.org/casestudy/take-a-ride-with-me-highlighting-the-adoption-of-citywide-microtransit-in-wilson-nc/
TA Centers: SUMC
Terms: Bus transit, Commuters, Commuting, Equity, Mobile applications, Mobile communication systems, Mobility, Mobility applications, Partnerships, Pilot studies, Planning, Public private partnerships, Public transit, Shared mobility, Technology, Vans, Wheelchairs
Tags: commute, commuters, commutes, commuting, demand response, demand responsive, demand responsive transportation, equity, flexible transit, microtransit, mobile applications, mobile apps, mobility hubs, mobility on demand, MOD, on-demand transportation, pilot projects, planning, point-to-point, public transit, public transportation, public-private partnership, public-private partnerships, shared mobility, technologies, technology, transit, trip planning, vans, WAVs, wheelchair accessible vehicles
