Honestly, getting riders back on board after a big dip isn’t easy. Public transit ridership has recovered to 85% of 2020 levels, but success depends on service frequency, reliability, delivery, and the local economic conditions.

Today’s riders expect more than the bus to show up on time. They want flexibility, convenience, and trip planning that doesn’t require a PhD or switching apps. Rides on Demand is a mobile app that can boost ridership growth by making transit less stressful and more enjoyable.

Here are a few smart moves to consider:

1. Meet Riders Where They Are (Literally)

On demand services like paratransit and microtransit are no longer a nice to have, they’re essential for connecting riders to their communities. That journey starts at home when a rider decides to take public transit. Rides on Demand offers intermodal trip planning that takes riders from demand response to fixed route in the same trip plan.

2. Make It Easy and Simple

If riders can order dinner, book a haircut, and schedule a dog walker from their phone, they expect the same from transit. Intermodal trip planning lets riders to plan a trip using multiple modes of transit all within a single app. Riders can book, track, and ride with ease, AND without juggling multiple apps.

3. Focus on Convenience, Not Just Coverage

Let riders plan and book public transit 24/7 when and how it is convenient to them. That’s how you make transit fit effortlessly into people’s lives. Rides on Demand helps you deliver that “just right” level of service with end-to-end trip planning that keeps riders coming back for more.

4. Keep Riders in the Know

Rides on Demand can take in a GTFS-RT feed that provides your riders with real-time schedules and vehicle tracking. Studies show that mobile apps with real-time information reduced perceived wait times for riders by up to 20%, while increasing rider satisfaction and trust. Riders on intermodal journeys can use the app to track their entire trip from microtransit to fixed route services.

5. Win-Win for Your Agency

Don’t forget about your agency! Rides on Demand offers benefits for transit agencies when the mobile app is supported by NovusDR or PASS. The software helps agencies conduct better service planning, use resources more efficiently, and can lead to significant cost savings. If your agency already has NovusDR or PASS, plus the Rides on Demand fixed route module, you can turn on intermodal trip planning with the flip of a switch – and before golf season is over!

Let’s be honest: there’s no magic trick for getting riders back on board. But there is a mobile app that offers riders the self-service flexibility and convenience they want when using public transit. With Rides on Demand, those simple yet seamless journeys are just a few clicks away.

Talk to TripSpark and let’s have a conversation about offering your riders an end-to-end seamless experience with a single app.