Brandon's on-demand transit pilot program enters next phase

A pilot program in Brandon offering on-demand transit rides outside of normal operating hours will begin its next phase.

Transit users have been able to utilize an app to book their rides. This next phase will see the adoption of a new app with updated features, such as manual selection of which stops to be picked up and dropped off at, as opposed to automatic selection by the app itself.

“The existing platform goes by GPS coordinates, so the platform picks the bus stop for you, where in the new one the rider will be able to select one,” says Carla Richardson, Brandon’s director of transportation. “There’s also an 'As Soon As Possible' option, where if a rider selects it, it will send the next available bus.”

Once a transit passenger creates a profile in the app, aside from being able to select which stops they would like to be picked up and dropped off at, they will also be able to fill in the date and times required, the number of passengers, and whether they require space for a wheelchair.

The stops are the same as the fixed route system and rides can be booked well in advance.

“If you know you work Monday to Friday at the same time and you need a ride at the same time, you can make them weeks in advance,” Richardson says. “And there’s an option in there that will generate from your favourites a reoccurring booking.”

Some Brandonites who have used the current system have noted there are improvements that they hope will be made with the new app, particularly receiving their ride confirmation earlier in advance as well as decreasing any delays in arrival.

Time will tell whether this pilot program will become a permanent fixture in Brandon's transit operations.

“We have to make sure that there’s a cost reduction, that it increases ridership, and that it provides a better general service to the riders of Brandon,” says Richardson.

Service through the new app launches Aug. 8 and can be downloaded on any App Store by searching “Pantonium”. Any riders that don’t have a smartphone can book by phone or through the Brandon Transit website.