Washington County and Ride Connection report strong early ridership for Spot microtransit pilot

Washington County transit planner Reza Farhuti and Ride Connection planning supervisor John Murrah presented the Spot Southwest microtransit pilot and answered council questions about service area, operations and next steps.

Farhuti said the pilot grew from the county's transit development plan and secured a statewide transportation improvement grant to operate the service and buy vehicles and software. He described the pilot area as a 7-square-mile zone serving about 33,000 residents and 5,000 jobs, with "about 1,500" residents and "about 400" jobs in Tigard alone. He said the pilot aims to provide first/last-mile connections to destinations such as Mountainside High School, Progress Ridge and Washington Square.

Murrah described how Spot works: an app-based, on-demand public-transit service that groups trips to increase efficiency. He said two Ford Transit vans (each carrying up to eight passengers and two mobility devices) were purchased with grant funds, and that the pilot is free to riders because the state grant covers costs: "It's free to the public," he said. Murrah said ridership grew rapidly: "Looking at June data, we're actually... surpassed 5,000 rides. I think we're at about 6,500," and that productivity is roughly "about 3 boardings per service hour," translating to "less than $20 per trip."

County staff said current grant funding runs through June 2027 and they have applied for a one-year extension to continue the pilot (and are exploring weekend service and additional funding to expand capacity). Councilors raised questions about expanding to Bull Mountain, distinctions between Spot and the fixed-route Link shuttle, and opportunities to electrify vehicles; staff said expansions depend on securing additional funding and protecting reliability.