City launches pilot program for on-demand bus rides this month

Sioux Area Metro will launch a pilot program for on-demand rides later this month, according to a presentation at a City Council informational meeting on Tuesday.

Senior Planner Sam Trebilcock said service for SAM On-Demand will begin on Dec. 19, and continue on Saturdays for four and a half months.

That's one of the times when ridership is lower during the week, Trebilcock said, making it a good time to test out the system.

Depending on how well it goes, on-demand rides could expand into weekday evening services, he added.

The program will replace fixed Saturday routes during that time, and will pick up and drop people off to and from any bus stop in the Saturday service area with no transfers.

Drivers are currently going through training on the technology used in the system, Trebilcock said, and starting next week one shift a day will be used to train drivers and test the system on the road, with volunteers and city staff as passengers.

News:  Hy-Vee launches annual membership program

Rides will be arranged largely through an app, but a website or phone call will also be options, Trebilcock said. The program will still use the city's buses and drivers, but the actual dispatching will be done mostly through a program made by the company Pantonium.

"Everybody's going to have a learning curve," he said, and there will be adjustments to efficiency for at least the first month of the program — hopefully ones that won't be noticeable to the riders, he said.

The program will not change how fares work, Trebilcock said, and payment cannot currently be done through the app.

Planning for on-demand bus rides has been in the works since 2018.

More:  Nine-building apartment complex headed for South Ellis Road