North Bay Transit’s new dynamic dispatching service is showing promising results in its first two weeks.
Councillor Chris Mayne, chair of the Infrastructure and Operations Committee, says he’s been happy with the early stages of the pilot project.
“I think when something new like this happens you’re always expecting larger problems but so far it’s actually working out fairly well,” he said.
Dynamic dispatching was launched on January 24 and provides on-demand bus rides during off-peak hours.
Through the “My Ride NBT” mobile app, users can input where they want to go, and the software creates an optimized route for riders going in the same direction. Rides can also be requested by calling transit dispatch.
During regular bussing hours, the same app can also be used to navigate the city’s transit schedule.
Mayne says 1,125 people have signed up for the app through the first two weeks, averaging about 100 riders during the evening.
This, all while ridership is down to about 40 percent of pre-pandemic numbers, which Mayne says is actually a good thing.
“It probably is a good time to roll out a new application like this,” he said. “If it was a more typical year, there probably would be three or four times the number of people using it and that might multiply problems as well.”
Bus riders also appear to be welcoming the new service.
Phil Tremblay rides the bus every day, working during the evening from Monday to Friday at either the Near North Medical Clinic or the Goodyear plant.
“I like it so far,” Tremblay said, adding he downloaded the app as soon as it was available.
Tremblay also says he has no complaints about the service.
Though dynamic dispatching is in its pilot run, Mayne is confident that it will be here to stay.
“I think it’s the face of the future for transit service,” he said.
To download the My Ride NBT app, click here.
