GRF adapts to changing landscape for ‘micro transit’

By Sam Richards

Staff writer

Wednesday, October 9 (4:30 p.m.): When GRF sought proposals for a Short-Range Transit Plan for Bus Transportation earlier this year, only one firm showed interest in being part of it. But that lack of response provided the chance for a sort of “do-over” on what to study about Rossmoor’s future bus service.

The whole landscape for “micro transit,” the kind of service provided by Rossmoor’s Dial-A-Bus service, has changed significantly in the past decade, and especially during and after the COVID pandemic. And as for the future, bus transportation, as such, won’t necessarily be part of the transportation Rossmoor provides for its residents.

“We need to do a better job of understanding the current state of the micro transit industry, what it is now,” said GRF General Manager Jeff Matheson.

With such uncertain expectations in mind, the GRF Board on Sept. 26 approved spending up to $15,000 on a different kind of study, a step-back look at the current state of micro transit, and establishing some “basic and best practices” as a starting point for how Rossmoor should move forward with the micro transit services it provides.

The new study, to be done by East farthing Logistics, will be more of a “research and advisory proposal” than was the original Short Range Transit Plan proposal, which called for evaluating the current GRF Transportation operation for efficiency, cost-effectiveness, evaluation of alternative transportation options, and recommending improvements.

The newly approved study, at $15,000, will also be cheaper than the original one, estimated at about $40,000.

Rossmoor’s bus service was sharply curtailed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ridership has never fully recovered. Fixed routes have not returned, and likely won’t, Matheson said.

Exacerbating the situation has been a chronic shortage of drivers, Matheson said. GRF has approved funding for eight driving positions; one of those is currently vacant, one driver is on limited duty, and a third is on leave. That leaves five, and that isn’t enough to provide full service. Weekend Dial-A-Bus bus service was suspended in late August, but Matheson said that could return, at least in the short term, if enough drivers are hired.

“We’re constantly recruiting,” he said.

Relatively new services like Uber, Lyft, Grubhub and Door dash have affected Rossmoor service in multiple ways, Matheson said. People who might consider being a driver in Rossmoor can now also turn to those alternatives for employment, and ride services like Lyft and Uber are siphoning at least some passengers from Rossmoor’s buses, Matheson said.

It’s conceivable that Rossmoor could replace at least some of its bus fleet with smaller vehicles, like vans, which would mean drivers wouldn’t need a Class B driver’s license with passenger endorsement, and that a Class C license could suffice. But whether different vehicles would enhance service or not figures to be part of the East farthing Logistics study, which Matheson said should be ready for GRF leaders to look at by January.

“We just need to find out the most viable, useful model we can for the (Rossmoor) community,” he said.