GAINESVILLE – “Micro-Transit” might be a “mega-solution” as Hall County leaders look at a probable loss in federal transportation funding shortly after the 2020 Census.
Members of the Gainesville-Hall Metropolitan Planning Organization heard at Tuesday’s Policy Committee meeting that Hall County population - officially determined by the 2020 U.S. Census - will likely cross a threshold that disqualifies the City of Gainesville from certain urban transportation dollars they now receive and depend upon.
Gainesville will no longer carry a “Small Urban” designation; the city will most likely be termed “Large Urban” and be expected to self-fund transit programs now supplemented by the federal government.
Anticipating that situation, the GHMPO implemented a “Micro-Transit Feasibility Study”. GHMPO Transportation Planning Manager Sam Baker told Policy Committee members what was being considered should the funding cuts happen and services such as Dial-A-Ride are no longer funded by the Federal Transit Administration.
“We have partnered with Hall Area Transit to conduct…the study,” Baker said.
“What it is,” Baker explained, “is exploring whether and how to provide transit service…using Uber, Lyft and a similar company called Via…either as replacing existing Dial-A-Ride service or complimenting and supplementing existing transit service.”
Baker said using Gainesville’s ubiquitous taxi cabs is being considered. Baker said that suggestion was made by the Citizens’ Advisory Committee, another arm of the GHMPO.
“We’re looking to maybe subsidize taxi service as a way to provide transit service,” Baker stated.
Phillippa Lewis Moss, Community Service Center Director, (which oversees Hall Area Transit), echoed Baker’s comments on using taxi cabs for future transportation needs. “What’s interesting about that is around the nation many taxi cab companies have now partnered with micro-transit agencies.”
Moss said that besides having a large and available fleet of vehicles involved in public transportation, she was keenly interested in the technology Uber and Lyft use to manage their assets.
“What makes this system work is not the special vehicles, it’s nothing particular about the drivers, it’s the technology of the on-demand app which can identify where you are as a passenger and where the drivers are, and being able to make the connection,” Lewis Moss told the Policy Committee.
“The possibilities are endless,” she added.
Baker said a consultant was being sought to help the county determine its best course of action.
