According to datareleased by the High Valley Transit District, the district's microtransit system is only gaining in popularity despite some hiccups and customer service complaints.
First launched last May, ridership steadily increased in December, with the peak period of Christmas to New Years seeing an average of over 2,000 requests for rides per day.
Summit County Councilor and High Valley board member Roger Armstrong says the numbers surpassed all expectations, but added that finding enough drivers to respond to all the requests was a challenge. According to the data, between Christmas Eve and January 6th, microtransit could only serve 66% of requested rides.
“It’s pretty overwhelming," Armstrong says. "The good news is we have microtransit, and people are using it, and the bad news is people are using it. It was wonderful during the holidays. Our numbers went from 1,000 or so rides [per day] to 1,531, I think, during the holiday period, and 1,738 during the early January part.”
The microtransit system works similarly to a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft, except it’s free to use. A rider can request a ride inside the Snyderville Basin service zone either by phone, online, or the High Valley Transit app. A driver then picks them up and takes them to their destination, as long as it’s inside the service zone. Microtransit does not travel to downtown Park City, Salt Lake City, or Heber.
Armstrong says although the service, at times, had trouble keeping up with demand on peak service days, it has shown its value as a viable public transportation service this winter.
“There were some longer wait times to get a ride," he says. "I’m getting tired of saying this, and I know every business owner and resort owner in Summit County is tired of saying it, but labor is a challenge. We probably had enough drivers, it’s just the dramatic demand at certain times was just overwhelming for it, and it was hard to stagger it. For our first ski season out of the gate, we’re doing well, but there was a bubble where it was a big challenge.”
According to the transit district, it plans to further examine the most popular routes, like the ones in and around Kimball Junction, to find out if those are more suited to a regular shuttle service instead.
Masks are required on all High Valley Transit services. More information on the microtransit service can be found here.
