Municipal OnDemand
Bay Area Transportation Authority | Traverse City, Michigan
Traverse City and the Grand Traverse region is a popular tourist destination known for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, cherries, wineries, hiking, and skiing. It’s also known for its traffic — especially during the summer months. Their transportation initiative focuses on improving efficiencies and the idea that if we want less traffic, we need fewer cars on the road. BATA upgraded its traditional dial-a-ride service to on-demand to operate in tandem with existing fixed-route services to provide flexibility and ensure that no rider was denied access.
The ability to provide our riders with innovative technology to request rides in real time via a mobile app has been amazing, we’ve seen immediate positive results in service efficiencies and data reporting.
Eric Linguar, Communications and Development Director, Bay Area Transportation Authority
GOALS
- Increase service delivery efficiencies and provide more rides with fewer resources
- Offer real-time ride availability, which wasn’t offered through its traditional dial-a-ride service
- Provide data and reporting insights into their services for the ability to make service improvement adjustments as needed
OUTCOMES
- No-show rate has decreased from 20% to less than 4%
- Service delivery cost savings with fewer vehicles needed on the road
- Fewer scheduling resources needed as 40% of all rides scheduled through the app or online
- Intuitive reporting that allows instant review of performance effectiveness and areas for improvement