Metro Transit plans to launch its first on-demand ride service with a pilot program that will allow passengers to use an app to schedule a shared ride much like they do with Uber and Lyft.
Called Metro Transit Micro, the test program expected to roll out this summer will serve a small area of north Minneapolis and operate much like Southwest Transit's Prime, Maple Grove's My Ride and the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority's Connect.
"This adds another layer of service," said Meredith Klekotka, Metro Transit's Shared Mobility Program manager. "This might appeal to users who do not take transit."
Metro Transit will contract with a transportation company to provide the service in a 2 1/2-square-mile area bounded by Interstate Hwy. 94 on the east, Interstate Hwy. 394 on the south, Theodore Wirth Parkway on the west and Golden Valley Road and West Broadway on the north.
"This will be one the smaller zones for micro transit" in the country, Klekotka said. It was designed that way because "we want buses to get to people quickly so there are low wait times."
Starting small also will allow Metro Transit to evaluate how well the service is received, Klekotka said.
Metro Transit Micro will be powered with five small buses currently used for Metro Mobility, the door-to-door service for people with disabilities who can't use regular transit. Two more buses will be on reserve.
Fares will be the same as those charged on fixed-route lines — $2 during nonpeak times and $2.50 when rush hour fares are collected. Seniors and children ages 6 to 12 will pay $1 per ride during nonpeak times. The service will accept cash, Go-To Cards and other passes. Metro Transit Micro users will be able to transfer to other bus and rail lines at no extra cost, Klekotka said.
