Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transit Ridership topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Washington County reviews weekend transit maps as staff flags potential fare and service decisions
Summary
County staff presented detailed maps of frequent weekend shared-ride trips and discussed using the data to inform possible fare adjustments and future decisions about weekend service; no service changes were adopted.
Washington County Public Works Committee members reviewed map-based analysis of weekend shared-ride transit trips and discussed using the information to inform potential fare or service changes ahead of the next budget cycle.
Committee members said the maps — produced by the county’s JIS office and explained by Transit Manager Charlie — focus on riders who used weekend service 11 or more times in 2024. The maps show origins and destinations, color-coded by frequency, and separate trip purposes such as employment, medical, shopping and social visits. Charlie said the maps use rider self-reported trip purpose and GPS coordinates to identify frequent destinations and patterns.
The presentation built on earlier ridership reports and compared counts across weekends and the full year. Committee members asked whether the county can track commercial ride-hailing prices (Uber/Lyft) to compare costs and to inform any future fare changes. A supervisor suggested the county consider modest increases to adult fares during the upcoming budget process; staff answered they can track competitor fares and review pricing annually.
Committee discussion also focused on cost-per-trip dynamics: staff said higher ridership and more shared rides reduce cost per trip because trips can be combined when riders have similar origins or destinations. Members noted employment-related trips tended to be steady and that weekend medical trips appeared limited among the frequent users flagged by the maps.
Staff cautioned the dataset has limits: trip purpose is self-reported and can be misclassified, and the maps do not include home locations as destination markers. Charlie and the JIS lead who produced the maps also noted occasional geocoding errors (for example, a mislocated fast-food label) and that some lines and layers make the maps dense and require time to interpret.
No action was taken. Staff said the data can inform choices during the next budget cycle, including whether to request contract rate changes — the county’s contract enters its last year and staff may return with options. Committee members were reminded that eliminating weekend hours would require a public hearing before the county takes that formal step.
