City looks to launch transit service by summer

‘Microtransit’ rides will connect with other public transportation options in Longmont

Come summer, Longmont plans to start picking people up and dropping them off at their desired locations as part of its microtransit service.

“Microtransit is meant to fill in the gaps of current transit service, providing a first/last mile option to existing transit services and serving those areas in Longmont without fixed-route transit,” Phil Greenwald, Longmont transportation planning manager, wrote in an email.

The service will operate similarly to Uber and Lyft but with some key differences.

A rider may call or use an app to request a ride from the city’s microtransit service and within 15 to 20 minutes a six- to eightperson passenger vehicle will pick them up close to their starting location.

They may have to ride with others and pick up more people along their route, but should make it to their destination in 15 to 20 minutes, according to Greenwald.

Initially, the microtransit service will only provide rides within Longmont’s planning area, and not to outside locations such as Denver International Airport. However, it will connect riders with public and private transit options that do go to the airport.

Greenwald said that there will likely be some type of nominal cost so that people do not abuse the service by canceling rides at the last minute or not showing up for them at all without any consequences.

It has not been determined how much a ride will cost. The microtransit service’s hours of operation also have not yet been finalized. In June, the Longmont City Council supported staff’s desire to pursue a microtransit system.

This year, the city is slated to receive a $450,000 grant from RTD to help jumpstart the microtransit service as well as $350,000 in both 2025 and 2026. In addition to those grant dollars, the city has $684,000 set aside in the 2024 budget for its microtransit service.

Although publicly funded,

Longmont’s microtransit service will be operated by a third-party vendor.

The city plans to put out a request for proposals for microtransit companies this spring, Greenwald said.

Longmont City Councilmember Diane Crist, who previously served on the city’s Transportation Advisory Board, said Monday that she supported the city’s pursuit of microtransit service. Crist said the service will be particularly beneficial to residents such as seniors who may not have transportation of their own and who live too far from a bus stop.

“This is a way for people to have transportation available to them no matter where they are in town,” Crist said.