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Columbia County transit reports ridership growth, pilots cashless fares and outreach push
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Summary
County transit reported monthly ridership increases of roughly 200 rides year-over-year, expanded outreach and online dial-a-ride signups, and proposed Token Transit app fares (approx. $2,500 setup and $2,500 annually) to reduce cash dependence.
Prince Beatty presented an update on Columbia County transit on March 18, telling commissioners the system has boosted outreach and ridership and is exploring cashless fare options.
Beatty said outreach increased substantially last year — ‘‘18 or 20 different events’’ — and that staffing has stabilized after turnover. He said the system recorded about 200 additional monthly rides on its main line and a similar increase for Dial-a-Ride, and reported first-time rider totals rising from 112 to 127 year over year. Since launching an online registration last August, he said, 108 people have signed up via the online form.
On fare modernization, Beatty said the county is in talks with Token Transit for app-based ticketing and described expected costs as roughly $2,500 for initial setup and $2,500 per year in service fees: “I don't think that's bad at all,” he said. He said the vendor model avoids expensive onboard machines by using a rider app that drivers verify.
Beatty also told commissioners an ODOT process review focused on procedures rather than daily operations and that staff expect a written report with minor documentation changes. He described plans to pilot onboard Wi‑Fi on the Portland run, to pursue limited advertising with local partners to offset costs, and to coordinate with River Cities Transit on inter-regional service adjustments after Rainier-related schedule changes.
Board members asked for clarifications about passenger-mile calculations and service planning. Beatty explained the passenger-mile metric counts only when a passenger is on board (not deadhead miles), said dispatch booking logic was changed to remove artificial caps that previously limited daily bookings, and credited those operational adjustments with reducing cancellations and increasing completed rides.
The board did not take any vote on funding changes at the session; staff said they will return with any cost estimates and implementation plans for app-based fares and route changes.
