Public Transit Alternatives to Rideshare Offer Affordable and Accessible Mobility

The benefit of microtransit is tremendous to riders like Andrew Landon, a Minneapolis-St. Paul area resident who uses a wheelchair. Landon told Minnesota Reformer reporter H. Jiahong Pan that he prefers to use microtransit over dial-a-ride and fixed-route services because it allows him to “live more spontaneously.” Microtransit offers a middle ground between fixed-route transit services and rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft, shuttling riders to their destination on demand in low-density areas. 

Landon is not alone in his preference for microtransit. While train and bus services have struggled to climb to their pre-pandemic ridership numbers, Minnesota Valley Transit Authority’s on-demand microtransit program, Connect, has seen an increase in ridership so high that it struggles to keep up with hiring drivers. 

Services like Connect offer alternatives to calling a ride on an app, usually arrive as wheelchair-accessible minibuses, and cost as little as $2.50. Riders can pay with card, cash, or through the app. This flexibility allows for a more accessible service than fixed-route transit or rideshare.

Connect also offers more stable employment to drivers, who are W-2 employees and have the option to join a union. In contrast, most rideshare companies hire drivers as independent contractors. MVTA Chief Operating Officer Matt Fyten told Pan that “partnering with transportation network companies such as Lyft is something MVTA is looking into,” but they don’t intend to use Lyft as an excuse to not hire more drivers.

While agencies like MVTA are struggling to keep up with demand for microtransit, support for a one-year pilot program from the state legislature and the Minnesota Department of Transportation will give new riders a chance to try the service.