Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Morrisville council retreat: staff urge phased microtransit upgrades, conversion to vans to cut wait times
Summary
Staff presented the town's 2025 alternative transit study, citing rising Smart Shuttle wait times and recommending phased microtransit improvements (more vehicles, additional nodes, and a shift to minivans), targeted advanced-booking for seniors and people with disabilities, and a Feb. 24 decision window to meet Wake Transit funding timelines. Council generally supported near-term microtransit changes and asked staff for a refined package.
Brett Martin, Morrisville's transportation project manager, presented the town's 2025 alternative transit study at a winter retreat, telling the council the Smart Shuttle's average onboard travel time remains competitive but that growing wait times and falling acceptance of trip proposals threaten the service's usefulness. "Our average travel times during which users are on the shuttle have generally stayed in the 13 to 14 minute range since initial launch," Martin said, but he warned wait times have crossed a critical 30-minute threshold in 2025 and are the main driver of cancellations and complaints.
Martin laid out the study's recommendation for short-term, phased improvements: increase the number of vehicles in service, add priority pick-up nodes in underserved neighborhoods, and transition from light-transit vehicles to smaller minivans to better match demand and reduce capital costs. He also recommended piloting an advanced-booking option targeted at seniors and people with disabilities to improve reliability for riders who need…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
