North County Transit District officials told the San Marcos City Council on Sept. 23 that NCTD Plus, an on‑demand shared microtransit service launched June 10, 2024, has exceeded early ridership expectations and undergone several adjustments to fares and geography to improve access. The presentation drew questions from Mayor Rebecca Jones, Deputy Mayor Sunella and council members about evening and morning coverage, student usage, and cost to seniors.

NCTD Chief Executive Officer Sean Donaghy said the agency has logged more than 25,000 boardings since launch and averages about 2,000 monthly boardings. “We’ve actually expanded that service into Vista,” Donaghy said, adding that the agency is watching data and customer feedback as it scales. Yoni Choo, NCTD manager of service planning, said the service began in a roughly 10‑square‑mile zone and has been expanded twice — in September 2024 and February 2025 — to include retail locations and the San Diego Food Bank site. “This is the existing geography. The nice thing about this service is that it's really flexible,” Choo said.

Why it matters: City leaders framed NCTD Plus as a potential “first‑/last‑mile” complement to existing fixed routes, helping residents reach Sprinter stations, Palomar College, Cal State San Marcos and retail destinations. Council members emphasized equity concerns — particularly fare burdens for seniors — and asked how NCTD is monitoring reliability and fiscal sustainability as it grows.

Key facts presented
- Launch date: June 10, 2024.
- Ridership: more than 25,000 boardings to date; about 2,000 average monthly boardings in a recent six‑month snapshot.
- Booking: 98% of trips are booked through the mobile app.
- Fares: at launch the fare was $5 zone‑wide and $2.50 for trips to/from a Sprinter station; in August 2024 fares were reduced to $3 zone‑wide and $1.50 to/from Sprinter stations. Youth 18 and under ride free through a youth option in the app.
- Ride pooling: NCTD reported a high share of pooled trips and a large growth in monthly boardings (from roughly 460 monthly boardings in August 2024 to nearly 2,000 a recent month).

Discussion and pending actions
Council members asked whether the service captures the San Diego Food Bank new location; Choo said the February 2025 expansion covered the food bank site but offered to confirm. Officials said they track origin‑destination patterns, wait times, pooled trip rates and financial performance to decide future expansions. Deputy Mayor Sunella reported that NCTD has set a public hearing to consider system service changes and said one proposal under consideration is removal of Saturday service on Route 347 (Palomar–Cal State San Marcos) with a greater reliance on NCTD Plus for weekend student travel; NCTD staff said the agency will use data and community engagement to inform those moves.

Equity and operations concerns
Council members and staff asked how youth and seniors access the free/discounted fares and how the agency verifies youth eligibility. Choo described the youth option as an in‑app designation for passengers 18 and younger; operators see the youth flag on their screens and Choo said operators have not reported widespread misuse, but staff can flag suspicious cases. Officials also flagged service cost: NCTD staff said NCTD Plus currently costs somewhat more than twice the agency’s fixed‑route Breeze cost per service hour and that long‑term fiscal sustainability is a priority as they consider expansion.

Next steps and community engagement
Donaghy and Choo said NCTD will continue data analysis, online open houses and outreach to schools and community groups as it refines zone boundaries and hours. They said the agency is testing ways to balance zone size with acceptable wait times and better pool trips to improve cost efficiency. Deputy Mayor Sunella and council members asked staff to collect resident feedback on coverage and fare relief options, particularly for seniors, and to share that input with NCTD.

Ending
NCTD officials closed by thanking the city for its partnership and said they would return with updated metrics and community engagement opportunities; no San Marcos City Council vote or formal city action on NCTD operations occurred at the Sept. 23 meeting; the changes discussed are driven by NCTD and subject to its public‑process decisions.