The community of Wilson is testing the efficiency of using a publicly subsidized on-demand van service in lieu of traditional buses.

The small town of Wilson, North Carolina is experimenting with completely replacing its bus system with a publicly subsidized, on-demand microtransit van service. As Jeff McMurray reports in SourceOne, the service provides door-to-door service for $2.50 per ride.
According to the article, “Wilson landed federal and state infrastructure grants to support the shared, public rides residents summon — usually within 15 minutes — through a service operating like Uber and Lyft, but at a fraction of the cost to riders.”
In many rural areas, microtransit has “emerged as a great equalizer in the battle for infrastructure dollars that has traditionally pit the bus, train and subway needs of urban areas against the road construction projects sought by rural communities.”
In Wilson, the new service provides a crucial lifeline to local jobs. “More than half the rides are for residents using the vans to ‘maintain or get employment,’ said Rodger Lentz, Wilson’s assistant city manager who pushed for the switch.”
The service, known as RIDE, was developed through a partnership with microtransit company Via, which operates similar programs in many U.S. cities and communities. Kai Monast, associate director of the Institute for Transportation Research and Education at North Carolina State University, predicts that “although Wilson will remain committed to microtransit, the community eventually will return in part to a fixed-route system, adjusted heavily from the data gathered through years of on-demand van rides.”
FULL STORY: What if public transit was like Uber? A small city ended its bus service to find out

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie