House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse secured $1 million in Community Project Funding for Longmont’s microtransit system.
The city announced in September that the microtransit system would begin in the summer after it received $450,000 from RTD. The system is expected to cost between $1.4 and $1.5 million in the first year. Transportation Planning Manager, Phil Greenwald said the yearly costs of the program are expected to decrease after its launch.
The system is designed to be a hybrid between ride-sharing systems and Flexride which allows customers to request a ride and be dropped off at any location in the city within 30 minutes. In the initial days of the program the drop-off point could be a major landmark or a bus stop in the vicinity of the customer’s destination.
According to Greenwald, the system creates a public transportation system that services areas that RTD buses currently do not serve.
The funding secured by Neguse will “reduce barriers to transit and transportation for residents across the city,” according to a news release from Neguse’s office.
Neguse joined Mayor Joan Peck, Assistant City Manager Joni Marsh and Greenwald on a walk down Main Street. The group stopped at the Transit Ready Development and the historic train depot.
“It was great to join leaders across Longmont to hear about the City’s plan for a regional transit system. Public transit helps connect our communities, and I am proud to have secured funding that will invest in our local transportation infrastructure and help make this project a reality,” Neguse said.
