Roseville's Dial-A-Ride now called Roseville Transit Arrow

Roseville's microtransit, Dial-A-Ride, is now known as Roseville Transit Arrow, according to Roseville Public Works director Jason Shykowski at the June 7 Roseville City Council meeting. Shykowski shared information about Arrow at the meeting. Microtransit is on-demand shuttle services usually utilizing small vehicles such as cutaway buses or vans. "Arrow combines the convenience of ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft with the capacity and affordability of traditional transit," Shykowski said, "You get the same Roseville transit professional drivers and there's no surge pricing or same-day fares. Arrow fares stay the same, no matter when you ride." The general public can request a ride on one of Roseville Transit Arrow's buses or vans for as little as $2.50 per ride through the GO South Placer app on the web at roseville.ca.us/arrow or by calling 916-745-7560. Roseville Transit Arrow runs from 5:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The GO South Placer app also allows rides to be booked outside of Roseville. To book a ride outside of Roseville, Roseville residents must book two trips, according to the website. "Book a trip to the nearest transfer point to your destination" that is within Roseville's limits, according to the website. Then, the second trip will be from that transfer point to the final location using another city's microtransit service. Roseville Transit Arrow also offers paratransit like its predecessor Dial-A-Ride. According to the website, the vehicles are ADA-compliant and offer wheelchair lifts and securement areas. Since the implementation of Roseville Transit Arrow in February, ridership has increased as compared to Dial-A-Ride's ridership, according to Shykowski. Roseville's Dial-A-Ride and paratransit services were replaced with Roseville Transit Arrow because "very few people actually dial anymore to request a ride," Shykowski said. Since not all riders have a computer or smartphone, however, riders can still call to request a ride. The flexibility of microtransit could be one reason why ridership is increasing. "It offers an on-demand option that can accommodate flexible work schedules that have become more prevalent since the COVID pandemic," Shykowski said. Although the program shows promise as evidenced by increased ridership, Shykowski addressed potential challenges that could occur, such as driver shortages, passenger wait times and vehicle reliability. Some of the city's vehicles are from 2009, according to Shykowski. The older vehicles are reaching the end of their lifespan and are often in the repair shop. "Staff has received a federal grant to replace all these vehicles with electric vehicles. However, the new vehicles aren't expected to arrive until next year, 2024," Shykowski said. "Until then, we've taken some internal steps to allow for some newer ADA-compatible minivans to provide the service until the new vehicles can arrive." At the June 7 meeting, Roseville councilmember Tracy Mendonsa suggested that the program implement options for airport transportation. While Roseville Transit Arrow currently doesn't have airport transport, Shykowski said they can look into it. "I like the fact that you're wheelchair-accessible," Roseville Councilmember Pauline Roccuci said. "I think it's going to be something people will like to use." Roseville Transit Arrow is currently running as a pilot program to test how it performs within Roseville.