BOISE, Idaho — As the city of Twin Falls continues to grow, so does the need for more public transportation.
Twin Falls Transit Director Maxine Durand said, "Twin Falls is growing extremely fast.” The city rolled out the first-ever door-to-door public transportation program to make it easier for the community to get around.
"We'll show up to a destination, we'll drop a passenger off, and then we're on to the next ride,” Durand said.
The pilot phase was supposed to last two years, but with the high demand, it was cut short. It is now officially a service the city offers.
"We don't have like a fixed route bus system. It's all vans that operate on that decentralized micro transit model anywhere within city limits,” Durand said.
In the first month, the program saw 3,200 rides, and about 5,000 every month after that. Riders are able to request a ride through an app and wait an average of 30 minutes for their ride to arrive at their house. Each ride at a flat rate of $3.
Six months after the rollout out the nonprofit Interlink Volunteer Caregivers said it has not served everyone.
“As far as mobility issues or if they have, they’re visually Impaired. Some of those things are harder because the people that must get on the bus system usually have to get onto the bus by themselves," said Executive Director, Jeanette Roe.
She also said the rideshare is leaving out the senior community.
“A lot of our people just don't use that type of technology. So it's a lot harder for them,” Roe said.
Another barrier, Roe said, is the rate of the ride. The city reduced the fare to $1 for seniors and people with disabilities, but Roe said that is still high.
"That dollar doesn't sound like a lot. But if you're making more than one stop, then it adds up. They can't afford even that dollar or two to get back and forth for those resources,” Roe said.
With this program being new, Durand said it’s hard to meet each and everyone’s specific needs.
“We're for everyone. And, you know, we pretty much fit I would say, 99.99% of use cases, when it comes to people who need to get out and do something in the community,” Durand said.
The city said this is just the beginning of addressing the community’s needs.
"You don't solve public transit. We'll continue to scale this program as far as we can,” Durand said.
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