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Committee reviews 2024 weekend ridership maps showing concentrated users and data limits
Summary
County staff presented 2024 weekend ridership maps for the shared-ride taxi program, highlighting a small number of frequent weekend users, data limitations from self-reporting and implications for possible weekend service or fare changes during the upcoming budget cycle.
WASHINGTON COUNTY — Washington County Public Works Committee members reviewed a detailed set of 2024 weekend ridership maps and use statistics for the county shared-ride taxi program, focusing on frequent weekend users and how that data could inform budget and service decisions.
The presentation, led by transit manager Charlie (transit manager), showed maps that isolate riders who used weekend service 11 or more times in 2024 (the “11+” group). Committee members were told 35 individuals took 11 or more Saturday trips in 2024, and the maps break those frequent users down by trip purpose (employment, meals, shopping, social) and origin–destination lines.
The report’s authors cautioned that trip-purpose categories are self-reported by riders and can be “fuzzy.” Charlie said, “So it’s all self reported,” and noted the mapping also uses coordinates and internal data to classify destinations. The committee heard that higher shared ridership can lower cost per trip when rides are successfully combined: when two passengers share the same vehicle for overlapping trips, “that helps out a lot,” the presenter said.
Staff pointed to several practical uses for the maps: identifying where frequent weekend riders travel, which destinations attract the most trips and whether weekend service reductions would affect medical, employment or meal trips. Committee members discussed tracking private ride-hailing prices (Uber/Lyft) as a reference for the county’s fare structure and flagged the upcoming budget cycle as an appropriate time to consider fare adjustments or service changes. Charlie told the committee that eliminating weekend hours would require a public hearing.
The presentation included multiple exhibits (labeled A–J) separating Saturday and Sunday by trip purpose. Staff emphasized the maps focus on frequent weekend users (11+ trips) rather than all weekend riders, and they noted mapping errors can occur when a location’s coordinates do not match the named destination.
Committee members commended staff for the detailed visuals but said the data will need more analysis before any service change decisions. The committee received the report for review and directed staff to include the information in upcoming budget discussions and contract planning; no formal action was taken at this meeting.
