Cities Save Money Providing Lyft and Uber Subsidies Instead of Running Buses
In areas where the riders are few, some cities are considering giving subsidies for Lyft and Uber rides instead of running buses.
The experiment has already had success in Pinellas Park and Altamonte Springs, with other cities looking into the strategy.
Dade County implemented subsidizing rides after its year-long struggle “debating whether ride hailing should be legal at all.”
This method raises questions as to whether vehicles can be wheelchair and handicapped accessible and as to whether contracted drivers will be as reliable as public transportation.
Another potential problem is that it requires riders to have access to a smartphone. For Pinellas Park, the program has cost them just $40,000, saving them 75{409e8c8aabfddf7aa6642c09f2dbd0e8134da7505e5c5a8159c7fdf428e4f269} of what they were paying running two bus lines. Centennial, Colorado, a suburb of Denver, is soon looking to launch a program of its own. See full story here…