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Commission grants five-year franchise to RiverNorth Transit; city to move to microtransit model amid rising per-ride costs
Summary
After staff described declining ridership and rising per-ride costs under the fixed-route system, the commission authorized a new contract to transition Springfield’s public transportation to a microtransit provider (RiverNorth Transit/Via) with an operational model intended to stabilize costs and expand point-to-point service.
The Springfield City Commission voted on June 30 to grant authority to RiverNorth Transit LLC to operate the city’s public transportation system under a new contract structured around a microtransit model.
Staff and transit contractors told commissioners that Springfield’s historical fixed-route system has seen ridership fall from about 280,000 annual rides in 2014 to roughly 120,000 in 2023 while the full cost per ride rose from about $6.83 to roughly $18. With city contributions rising from about $200,000 annually to nearly $400,000, staff said the fixed-route model had…
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