The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority changed its University of Rhode Island/Narragansett/South Kingstown bus route to exclusively on demand Flex service, according to the RIPTA website, which has caused commuter slowdowns.
RIPTA made changes to their existing services on Jan. 21, eliminating the time point bus system at the URI/Narragansett/South Kingstown stop.
The Flex buses previously ran on a different system where riders would schedule the bus 24 hours in advance, according to Mark Schoenweiss, a frequent Flex bus rider and URI International Engineering House chef.
“[Flex on demand] is kinda good but you get blocked out if they’re real busy,” Schoenweiss said. “You’ll have to wait more often than previously when you planned your rides [24 hours in advance].”
Flex On Demand is an app that allows riders to request a ride to and from anywhere within a designated flex zone, after which a Flex bus will pick up the passenger shortly after, according to the RIPTA website.
URI is designated within a Flex zone, so students can request a ride from the campus to other locations in the zone such as the URI Bay Campus and Narragansett Town Beach. The fee is $2 per one-way trip, which is the same as regular scheduled RIPTA bus rates, according to its website.
The service gives real time updates on when the bus will arrive to pick passengers up, however some say it may not be exact due to other riders requests.
“Students could take it before, but you had to schedule your ride the day before and [students] don’t do good at scheduling things for themselves,” Schoenweiss said.
Since the implementation of Flex On Demand more students have been taking the Flex buses according to Schoeneweiss. However this has caused issues with his pre-scheduled commute.
Bus drivers have to respond to requests for on-demand rides regardless of who is on the bus and if their current passengers requested a pre-scheduled time, according to a RIPTA bus driver. This has caused complaints from riders, who use the service to arrive on time for work, doctors appointments and other pre-scheduled RIPTA transport.
“Before I would’ve gotten picked right up and taken home,” Schoenweiss said. “Now I get picked up and have to wait for on demand riders to get on, so it prolongs your trip a little bit.”
Since the Flex On Demand soft launch in August, 193 riders have used the service, according to Cristy Perry, director of public outreach at RIPTA.
“This microtransit service continues to grow in popularity with almost 4,000 trips provided to date,” Perry said. “RIPTA recently eliminated timepoints from the 203 Flex Zone and expanded its service hours in order to better meet demand and provide more flexibility,”
Schoenweiss has used the Flex service for the past 15 years as a convenient way to commute to and from URI and he has yet to be satisfied by the recent changes.
“The trips are a lot more uncertain,” Schoenweiss said. “They say it’s gonna straighten out but I haven’t seen it straightened out [to] where it’s that great yet.”
To learn more about Flex On Demand, or to download RIPTA Flex On Demand for Apple and Android, visit the RIPTA website.
