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County staff propose on‑demand pilot to boost ridership after fixed route averaged 1.6 riders/hour
Summary
Lake County staff and contractor Downtowner recommended piloting an on‑call, on‑demand transit service to replace the current low‑ridership fixed route; staff cited a Steamboat Springs case study (≈26% ridership growth) and said the pilot will generate data to evaluate expansion to underserved neighborhoods.
Lake County staff and the county’s transit contractor, Downtowner, proposed converting the current fixed transit route to an on‑demand (on‑call) service inside a defined zone as a pilot to increase ridership and reduce empty vehicle miles.
Stuart Clark, Lake County facilities and fleet director, and Mike Fisher (Downtowner) told commissioners the fixed route established in November 2024 has low utilization and sometimes runs empty. Fisher said the system currently serves about "1.6 passengers per hour" on average and argued an on‑demand model — where riders request a pickup via a smartphone app or by calling a call center and a vehicle picks them up near the requested point — can provide closer, more timely…
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