OCTA launches on-demand microtransit service

The 1768 Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has launched an on-demand microtransit programme to help
better match public transit services with how commuters want to travel.

The one-year pilot, called OC Flex, will allow riders to take an eight-person shuttle between two zones –
one in Huntington Beach and the northern city of Westminster and the other in three cities: Mission Viejo,
Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel.

Lisa Bartlett, OCTA chairwoman, says: "We hope that this innovative alternative will help introduce more
people to the convenience of leaving their cars at home."

Riders can either pay $4.50 for using the OC Flex mobile app – developed by ride-share company Via – or pay
$5 for unlimited trips on both routes. Users can also make free connections to OCTA’s traditional bus
service and rail transit.

OC Flex runs seven days a week and can be accessed by wheelchair users. Drivers undergo background checks
and a safety training programme.

OCTA says it will analyse the OC Flex data throughout the year to determine whether to continue and,
potentially, to expand the service.

Earlier this year, OCTA made its mobile ticketing solution available across its 2Internal<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary />4337770link-external entire fleetfalse/sections/transmart/news/octa-launch-bus-app-and-change-routes-to-increase-ridership/truefalse%> and updated
seven bus routes in a bid to increase ridership.