Officials give green light to microtransit

Shuttle program will offer rides anywhere in the city by app and phone

Residents will be able to call for an in-town shuttle in the near future — similar to calling an Uber — after Longmont officials Tuesday approved an agreement with RTD to provide funding for a new microtransit program.

While no price has been set yet for the rides, city officials have discussed collecting a nominal fee as a deterrent to keep people from canceling scheduled rides or abusing the service. The city government is expected to receive $450,000 in 2024 and $350,000 in both 2025 and 2026 from RTD to help pay for the program. City officials have set aside $648,000 for the microtransit program in this year’s budget.

The Longmont City Council approved the agreement in a unanimous vote with minimal discussion. Workers are expected to solicit a third-party vendor to run the service, which city officials hope launches this summer.

The microtransit program is intended to serve the city’s entire area and would allow anyone to request a ride by phone or through a smartphone app, according to a council memo. Within 15 minutes of requesting a ride, an individual would be picked up in a passenger van no more than a “5-minute walk from the trip origin,” the memo noted.

While they may have to ride with others, a user of the microtransit service should reach their destination, within Longmont, roughly 15 minutes after being picked up.

The microtransit service will not provide direct rides to Denver

International Airport or anywhere outside of the city’s planning area.

However, there already has been informal talk of working with neighboring communities, especially those to the north and east, to broaden the microtransit program’s service.

“I already know that some cities in Weld County and Larimer County are looking at microtransit also,” Mayor Joan Peck said in a separate interview Monday.

“We need to work together more with Weld County because that’s what we border.”

It isn’t immediately clear exactly how many other towns and cities are exploring a microtransit program.

In an email Monday, Frederick Mayor Tracie Crites said the town is highly supportive of initiatives to improve travel convenience and connectivity in the region.

“We are eager to learn more about Longmont’s program and explore how this service could potentially benefit the residents of Frederick,” Crites said.

Lone Tree in Douglas County offers a similar shuttle program called Link on Demand that provides free rides anywhere within Lone Tree and nearby Meridian, which is an unincorporated community also in Douglas County.

Longmont ridership data will be closely monitored to determine whether the service continues beyond the threeyear funding plan, according to city materials.

RTD provides funding to local governments and transportation management associations and organizations for projects and services that meet their local mobility needs, according to the transportation district’s website. Several other communities, including Boulder, also received funds recently for similar services.