Passengers will be picked up in branded Toyota Siennas produced in the United States, and riders will be paired with others headed in the same direction.
Jason Via, deputy director of public safety and operations for the city, said Tuesday that the Clark County Springfield Transportation Coordinating Committee found that the fixed-route transit model “no longer met the needs of our residents or our employers.”
Via the city employee is not affiliated with Via Transportation, the new transit provider.
“Riders face long wait times and gaps in access to jobs and health care. Local businesses have expressed concerns about aligning transit with workforce needs, and many individuals require more flexible and responsive transit options,” Via said. “To address this issue, the micro-transit model emerged as the preferred solution.”
The SCAT system (Springfield City Area Transit) offers seven fixed bus routes from 6:40 a.m. to 6:40 p.m. Monday through Friday, and an ADA para-transit system and call-ahead scheduled ride service.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
The new service will expand coverage, be more responsive and flexible, and will see “sustainable growth and greater impact in the years ahead,” Via said.
City officials had hoped to launch a micro-transit program in 2024, but the first time they put out a “request for proposals,” they did not receive any proposals from companies or agencies pursuing the contract.
A full fare for an end-to-end journey in the proposed new model is estimated to cost $2, or in some cases a reduced fare of $1. Prices will remain the same to the current Springfield City Area Transit (SCAT) bus system for groups like students and for paratransit ($4).
The city’s proposed deal with Via Transportation is for five years, according to city documents, at annual totals of $2.3 million to $2.7 million per year. In 2023, the total expenses of the SCAT busing program were $2.32 million.
Questions about the new system remain, including hours of service, how drivers will be paired with other riders, and the volume of available drivers.
Via Transportation plans to share a “major announcement” in a few weeks, with more specific details of the new system, including branding and the vehicles, plus operational details.
Alex Lavoie, chief operating officer of Via Transportation, the company whose request for proposal was accepted, said the system is tailored for Springfield. He pointed to a similar service the company launched in Lorain County near Cleveland earlier this year.
Drivers will be hired locally at the same pay rates as SCAT employees, and will be “rigorously vetted,” before thorough training, Lavoie said.
Services will be multilingual with emphases on English, Spanish and Haitian Creole, Lavoie said.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Lavoie said the company could work out partnerships with employers to provide free rides to their employees.
In other areas with micro-transit, Lavoie said there has been an increase in ridership over traditional transit options.
The program is currently in the “service design phase” and will shift to on-the-ground testing from May to June. Transit will launch at the end of June with a planned one-week period of overlap between the bus system and the new service to allow riders to test it out. In July, it will be fully operational.
Community outreach will include efforts to hire locally.
Clara Canales, part of Via’s implementation team, said they have been looking closely at “existing ridership patterns” and data to create a system that makes sense for current users.
The public can share feedback at a meeting from 5-7 p.m. May 5 at the City Hall Forum.
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