Hill Country Transit District representatives outlined a shift from fixed-route service to a microtransit demand‑response model and asked the Coryell County Commissioners Court for a continued $50,000 commitment to support microtransit in Gatesville and a reduced, Monday/Wednesday/Friday demand‑response schedule for the county. Judge and commissioners asked for clarifying usage and cost details during the budget development workshop.

The district’s presenter, Tony (director of public engagement, Hill Country Transit District), said microtransit is “basically a demand response transit system” and compared the service to ride‑share apps while stressing it is a shared‑ride public system. He described three levels of service in Coryell County: microtransit inside Gatesville, demand‑response in outlying county areas (24‑hour advance bookings), and a commuter service that links into urbanized systems such as Temple and Belton. Tony said the district has been operating microtransit in Gatesville since March and provided a quarterly performance snapshot to the court.

The district reported 1,436 trip requests for Gatesville’s microtransit area and discussed a high number of cancellations during the transition to the new system. Tony said the program’s cancellation rate was about 27.92 percent, and that the average on‑vehicle time for city microtransit trips is approximately 9 minutes, with average trip distances of about 2.4 miles; county trips averaged about 9.35 miles. He also said riders still make most bookings by phone (about 77 percent) rather than the app (about 22.8 percent).

Tony asked the court to keep its current $50,000 annual commitment to sustain microtransit inside Gatesville and to support demand‑response service in the county on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only, a change the district said would concentrate trips when demand is highest and reduce costs. He told commissioners the district’s statewide and federal apportionments declined from 2025 to 2026 and that the transit district cut roughly $2.5 million in expenses system‑wide; he said the reduction in apportionments also reflects the district’s reshaped service area (fewer counties in the apportionment pool).

Commissioners asked practical questions about demographics and fares. Tony said the district does not capture full demographic data through the app — only name and phone number are required — but staff can report trips booked under senior discounts. Fare structure as presented: $2 for microtransit inside Gatesville, $4 for county demand‑response; eligible seniors (60+), disabled riders and veterans receive a 50 percent discount (city trips $1, outside trips $2).

On outreach, Tony said the district has added a media manager, conducted travel trainings at the senior center, attended community events and plans more online and in‑person travel training to boost app use and reduce telephone demand. He also said the district is pursuing private/public partnerships with non‑profits and hospitals and plans a roundtable of potential partners.

Why it matters: The district framed the commitment as sustaining a more efficient, demand‑driven local service while reducing longer, low‑efficiency commuter routes into urban systems. Commissioners asked for more demographic and utilization data and said they would consider the district’s funding request during broader budget deliberations.

The presentation concluded without a formal vote; district staff said they will provide additional data and continue public hearings on commuter changes.