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Peoria expands on-demand transit pilots, eyes Ride Choice subsidy to lower paratransit costs
Summary
City staff updated council March 4 on transit operations, including a new WeRide microtransit pilot launched Jan. 6 and a proposed Ride Choice program to supplement ADA paratransit; staff said the city is analyzing costs and applied for outside funding to expand pilots.
Peoria staff presented an overview March 4 of the citytransit program, describing fixed-route service, ADA-mandated paratransit, a local curb-to-curb reservation service (Dollaride) and a recent microtransit pilot (WeRide) launched in January.
Transit staff said fixed-route service in Peoria is funded through regional Prop 400/Prop 479 and regional partners; the local transit fund also supports curb-to-curb services and infrastructure. Staff reported roughly 23,208 demand-response trips in fiscal 2024 (a combined total of Peoria-operated and regional contractor trips), with about 85% completed by Peoria staff and an overall on-time performance near industry standards.
WeRide, a microtransit app-based on-demand pilot launched Jan. 6, operates within defined zones and does not require the one-day advance booking required for Dollaride. Staff stressed WeRide is still in a pilot and data-collection phase and said they had applied for a grant to support expansion; staff did not provide a final funded amount in the presentation. Staff asked for council feedback on possible future expansions and said they would return with results and budget requests tied to pilot data.
Staff also described a potential Ride Choice program (Valley MetroRideChoice), which would subsidize on-demand trips through taxi and rideshare providers for eligible seniors and people with disabilities. Staff said Ride Choice could be significantly cheaper per trip than regional ADA paratransit (staff cited rider fares of $2–$3 vs. program delivery costs that can be many times greater) and could deliver cost savings and more flexible, 24/7 on-demand service for eligible riders. Valley Metro manages eligibility for federally required ADA paratransit; Ride Choice would be a subsidized complement for eligible travelers.
Transit operations details included: four fixed routes (north-south and east-west arteries), one park-and-ride facility (roughly 626 vehicles observed as a weekly snapshot in FY24), 90 bus stops in the city (staff noted recent efforts to provide shelters and seating), seven dedicated Peoria drivers and 11 vehicles (including spares), and about 64,000 trash accounts mentioned elsewhere in the meeting as a city service metric.
Council members asked about microtransit zone placement, regional connectivity between neighboring cities' microtransit systems, and safeguards for vulnerable passengers (staff said they are instituting follow-up phone calls and "no passenger left behind" procedures for curb-to-curb services). Staff said transfers currently exist between Peoria and Surprise at a designated location but that cross-city on-demand door-to-door service is not uniformly available to all neighboring cities. Staff said they would examine app instructions and improve rider information to avoid confusion about service boundaries.
Staff said they will return to council with pilot results, grant outcomes and proposed budget language for any pilot expansions or Ride Choice implementation.
Ending
Peoriatransit officials described incremental, data-driven moves toward on-demand services and a possible Ride Choice subsidy to lower per-trip costs for ADA and eligible riders; council members asked about service boundaries, rider safeguards and potential expansions, and staff said they will return with more data and grant outcomes.
