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Carbondale officials and Rafta fund downtown on‑demand service as ridership climbs
Summary
Carbondale leaders described a year-old on‑demand ‘‘Downtowner’’ pilot that averaged 16,000 rides per month and runs alongside a circulator to the Rafta Park‑and‑Ride. The service costs about $600,000 annually; Rafta and the town split funding and data show many trips serve seniors and connect to regional transit.
Carbondale officials said the town’s year‑old on‑demand ‘‘Downtowner’’ service has produced strong ridership and linked residents to regional transit, but it also carries a substantial operating cost that the town will need to sustain.
The town’s pilot Downtowner averaged about 16,000 rides a month, officials said, and a separate circulator between the park‑and‑ride and downtown averaged about 10,000 rides, for roughly 18,000 monthly rides total across services. A town official said the combined operating cost for the local program is “about the total cost, and we split that with Rafta,” estimating the total at roughly $600,000 a year for two vans.
Those figures were presented during a joint conversation between Carbondale trustees and…
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