Bus service to launch Uber-like program

“This is really trying to target those individuals who are trying to get to services, trying to go shopping throughout the typical workday, and really connecting those who have transportation challenges or who are looking to be more efficient in their travel, whether by carpooling or whatever that may be,” Rural Community Transportation executive director Caleb Grant said.

The organization intends to roll out the on-demand service by the first week in April.

Grant describes the initiative as “an Uber-like system of real-time and dynamically routed public transit service open to all members of the public with service provided by a small bus or van.”

The new service would replace the rural transportation organization’s Morrisville shopper loop, which Grant said is an “underperforming route.” Grant said other routes, such as the popular Route 100 commuter that runs between Morristown and Waterbury, would continue to operate.

Although details are subject to change between now and April, the transportation organization intends on the service being available every weekday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. with the goal of no rider having to wait more than 30 minutes for a ride.

The service area will include all Morristown and Hyde Park, not just the villages.

That is a key difference between the current model, where riders must make their way to a predesignated stop, which could be miles from the rural part of town where they live.

Grant noted it also won’t exist on its own, saying, “It is not meant to replace existing transportation systems, but to complement them.”

There will be at least one lift-equipped vehicle for people using wheelchairs or who have other mobility issues. Riders will share the vehicle with other people and the driver can adjust the route based on who needs a ride — a far cry from the static loop the current bus does repeatedly every day.

The program is partially funded by the state, with the Vermont Transportation Agency chipping in roughly $24,000 to support the program.

Grant said the new system will have limits, such as bus or van capacity, or pickup spots for people who live outside the service area boundaries. It is a three-year pilot program, which means there will be plenty of tweaks, particularly since it involves an entirely new technology platform powering an entirely new type of service.

“It’s a new software, so there’s going to be hiccups,” Grant said.

It will also require more planning ahead or planning differently — reserving a spot on the bus by either using a smartphone app or calling Rural Community Transportation, rather than showing up at a particular spot ahead of a scheduled bus.

Previous microtransit projects — Montpelier has had one for two years — have raised concerns about a technology divide, whether based on age or socioeconomic factors, which is why Grant said there are three ways to schedule a ride — use the app, call by phone or use the website on a computer, say at a public library.

“It’s a much more personalized service to their schedule and to their needs, but it does take a little bit more planning,” he said.

Piece of the puzzle

Clarissa French, co-executive director of The United Way of Lamoille County, said transportation, like housing, is a proxy issue that can affect other things generally classified under “resource navigation.”

“It’s one of those things where, if you adjust that, it makes many things better. It can have a multiplier effect,” she said. “The efforts that RCT is making will be of enormous benefit.”

United Way already assists people who have vehicles by giving them gas cards and helping with other car costs, and French says the organization is also looking at ways to participate in an electric bike initiative.

Lamoille Community House received nearly $11,000 from the state — the same pool of money that is supporting Rural Community Transportation — to establish an e-bike reservation system, so guests at its shelter can travel to downtown Morrisville along the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail.

French said United Way is prepared to help get the word out about the microtransit program through outreach and marketing, knowing that communicating any type of new service, whether its tackling homelessness, poverty, substance use or mental health, takes time. United Way is one of those umbrella organizations that dabbles a bit in all those areas.

“I think lack of awareness applies to a lot of services in Lamoille County,” she said.

Folks at the Lamoille County Planning Commission are waiting to see how the new microtransit initiative will fit into the regional transportation picture. Rob Moore, the commission’s transportation planner, said he hopes to host a public forum soon to stoke conversation around transportation issues, and he anticipates the microtransit service being a big talking point.

“We’ve always had a close relationship with (Green Mountain Transit) and RCT, and our role involves creating public awareness and gathering public input,” Moore said.

Freedom of mobility

Kim Anetsberger, executive director of Lamoille Community House — which operates an overnight shelter in Hyde Park village during the winter and is aiming to get a year-round shelter up and running — said only roughly one out of 12 shelter guests have a car of their own and while they frequently give other guests rides, that’s not as reliable as regular, on-demand public transportation.

“As a shelter, we do provide housing, navigation and case management services. But we can only do so much when it comes to mental health and recovery services, or just even wellness things like getting out, going to the grocery store on your own, or visiting family,” she said.

Grant said there’s a sense of guardianship among some of the RCT bus drivers on the current routes, who get to know the people who most frequently ride the bus. If one of them doesn’t show up for their weekly grocery store trip, a driver might check to make sure they’re OK.

Anetsberger said transportation is crucial to get to medical appointments, recovery meetings or court appearances. Missing those appointments can be detrimental to moving forward out of whatever circumstances led them to be at those appointments in the first place.

She said Lamoille Community House recently conducted a focus group with about nine people who either don’t have a place to live or are in danger of becoming homeless about the transportation challenges they face.

Some of them talked about hitching rides and shared their tactics for getting people to pick them up, such as holding a gas can to make it look like they ran out of fuel or making sure they dress or carry themselves in “a certain way to make sure they don’t seem threatening,” she said. “One of the people in our group hitchhiked six hours just to get there.”

However, Anetsberger touts public transportation as more than a ride to drudgery. She said it will be beneficial for people who want to go somewhere fun, like visit a family member or catch a matinee or art exhibit or go to the gym.

“I think something we often forget about when it comes to our homeless populations is participation in wellness activities,” she said.