TYLER, Texas — Tyler Transit will be turning its fixed route service into a MicroTransit service starting Monday, Jan. 13.
According to the city of Tyler, all bus stops will be pick-up locations for riders and the ride will take them directly to the doorstep of a destination within sight of the closest bus stop on any existing route.
MicroTransit service will be split into three zones with two drivers per zone. If a passenger's destination is in a different zone from where they're picked up, the driver will take them to Stop 400 near the Bergfeld Center and Fire Station 7, where a driver will wait or arrive shortly to finish the trip.
"Moving away from a fixed route service allows us to make purposefully driven trips that will reduce passengers' wait times and time spent on a bus," said Transit Manager Russ Jackson. "This change will allow our drivers to use flexible routing to avoid heavy traffic while still taking riders to their destination."
A pilot version of an on-demand MicroTransit in south Tyler started in May, and in June, the Campus Connector route became a MicroTransit service as well.
"Once we switched to MicroTransit, we saw around the same number of passengers, but we cut down on fuel and mileage on both routes," Jackson said. "We've received positive feedback from riders on these pilot routes."
New payment methods are coming out as well, and riders will get to book a ride by calling (903) 533-8057 from the bus stop or through the Tyler Transit app.
The public comment period regarding the MicroTransit will be open until Monday, Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. Questions and comments can be submitted via TylerBus.org.
Rides can be booked Monday through Friday between 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The cost for the on-demand service will be $1 per bus ride, unless a pass has been purchased.
Ways to pay to include:
- Transit Depot: Buy one-way tickets or daily, weekly, monthly and student passes through any payment method. Reloadable Smart Cards are also available for purchase.
- Bus: One-way fare can be bought with cash or tap-to-pay cards.
- Tyler Transit App: Purchase one-way fare only by credit or debit card.
- Token Transit App: Buy one-way, daily, weekly and monthly passes with a credit or debit card or Apple Pay on iOS devices. Student and reduced fares must be pre-authorized by Tyler Transit before purchasing through the app.
- Token Transit Website: Refill Smart Cards by credit or debit card as well as Apple Pay on iOS devices. Reloadable Smart Cards must be purchased at the Transit Depot first.
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