Okay fine, but show me the numbers.
Metro will expand on-demand rides of its micro-transit to include services in Second Ward, Third Ward and downtown Houston through a partnership with the city of Houston and Evolve Houston.
The expansion comes after transit officials approved increasing its commitment to shuttles in Houston neighborhoods. The deal with the Houston nonprofit, approved by transit officials in June, increased to more than $1 million for operations of Evolve’s free ride program from August to the end of January.
[…]
“Integrating micro-transit into METRO’s public transit system demonstrates a commitment to finding innovative solutions that meet our customers where they are,” Metro Board Chair Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock said in a statement.
The service features small electric vehicles designed for short-distance routes. It offers eco-friendly transportation options where distance, weather, hazardous crossing and mobility challenges may have kept residents from reaching bus and rail services. It also utilizes the Ride Circuit app to track systems, view the maps and check operating hours, the release reads.
“Microtransit is a proven solution to get more people where they need to go safely and efficiently,” Houston mayor John Whitmire said in a statement. “Connected communities are safer communities and bringing microtransit to Houston builds on my promise for smart, fiscally sound infrastructure growth.”
The shuttles operate within a designated zone to connect riders to destinations such as Metro transit centers, bus stops, rail stations, grocery stores and medical facilities, according to the release.
See here and here for the background. The main thing that sticks out to me about this story is that it has no numbers other than the dollar figure being invested. The stated purpose of this partnership was to increase ridership. It’s been almost six months now, so do we have any data to suggest that such an increase, even a modest one, has occurred? If so, tout the success, and if not please tell me what you think is happening. Are there any goals for this expansion? Or are we just taking Mayor Whitmire and Chair Brock’s word for it?
I don’t think I’m asking for much here. I do think this idea has merit, but especially given everything that has been cancelled against the will of the voters by Metro because the numbers supposedly didn’t justify them, we deserve to know how well this one little expansion of services is doing. I will also note that downtown is included in this RYDE expansion, and as someone who has worked downtown in the past, we used to have various free circulating trolleys, and downtown was the original location for BCycle. Why do we think this will be a better and more used and useful service than either of them? Again, all I’m asking for is the numbers. CultureMap has more.
UPDATE: This is a great summary.
Nick Arcos, director of communications at LINK Houston, a group advocating for a robust transportation network in Houston, told Chron they haven’t been able to analyze ridership data or parse through demographics using the service because it’s not a fully integrated METRO product yet. He thinks microtransit can play a role in Houston’s transit system, but doesn’t believe it to be a “catch-all-solution.”
“Microtransit can play an important role in addressing gaps like the last mile problem, but we should be careful to address it as a catch-all-solution,” Arcos said.
“It can help that college student get from one side of campus to the other, but there are other options that could be used instead, like funding towards repairing or building new sidewalks so that the first mile and last mile isn’t as hazardous of a trip,” he added.
Arcos has taken a ride in the shuttle and says its app, which is separate from METRO’s current family of mobile applications, is easy to use for technology-natives and sighted users. He estimates he waited about 30 seconds for a shuttle to pick him up and take him to his destination. However, he worries the vehicles’ lack of air conditioning and heat could hamper ridership.
Evolve is working on adding climate control to vehicles and is already starting to test it across a couple of vehicles that Brown described as a “2.0 version” of the original vehicles. That version would service downtown and have a bigger battery capacity to expand hours of operation.
“There needs to be a balance in the levels of how they are choosing to conduct METRO services,” Arcos said “They previously had METRO Curb to Curb before this Evolve partnership happened and that’s a very similar experience where you’re able to find out and schedule a ride from your home to a transit center so that you’re able to connect to the larger bus system…
“We do believe it’s important, especially for senior citizens or those unable to afford a car, but they need to be addressing the entire problem, which is building connected sidewalks and making sure their bus stops are accessible,” Arcos added.
Give us the numbers!