This article was originally published by St. Louis Public Radio, a BND news partner.
Madison County Transit will start a pilot program on Monday — similar to ride-hailing services like Lyft and Uber — for $1 to most of Collinsville.
SJ Morrison, managing director of Madison County Transit, said the pandemic and the proliferation of ride-sharing applications have changed the way the county’s residents move around the region.
“We are trying to meet the needs of maybe future riders that don’t ride today for one reason or another,” Morrison said.
The key difference between commercial competitors and this program — dubbed MCT Micro — is that this service will pick up other commuters along the way like a bus would. However, there will not be a set route like a bus.
Research from the Metro East transit service over the past couple of years has shown that customers are taking a majority of their trips, about 75-80%, within a single community. For example, Collinsville residents are staying in town for their grocery store runs or medical appointments, Morrison said.
“We know that our future riders want more of an on-demand service,” he said. “Being able to offer a service on demand in this way, I think it’s going to be very attractive to retain ridership and attract new passengers to MCT.”
MCT drivers will pick up customers on smaller shuttle-style vehicles. They will drive anyone in the majority of Collinsville, which is on the Madison County side of town. The new service will operate in conjunction with the existing bus and shuttle services.
If successful, Morrison hopes to expand MCT Micro to other parts of the county and possibly phase out its existing shuttle service.
“It’s a pilot — we don’t know what we don’t know yet,” he said. “We’ve seen around the country some areas where micro transit services have been successful and others where it’s struggled to catch on.”
Madison County Transit selected Collinsville because of its demographics and designated commercial corridor, said Derek Jackson, the Collinsville city manager.
Collinsville officials believe this new service will not compete with an existing program for senior citizens and disabled residents . That shuttle runs during the week and tallies more than 11,000 trips annually, according to the city’s website.
“If anything, if there is congestion on one, hopefully this frees up and makes it kind of a quicker process for being dropped off and picked up by having additional options,” Jackson said.
MCT Micro will run with two shuttles from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, it will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with one vehicle.
Commuters can book trips on the Madison County Transit application or by calling 618-797-4636. The vehicles are accessible for those with disabilities, will have video surveillance and can carry bicycles.
“If we’re able to have a successful program and help MCT have a successful launch, we are optimistic and hopeful this helps them launch this program countywide — so other communities can benefit from it as well,” Jackson said.
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