October 10, 2024

Two Cities End Bus Service, Move to Uber-Style Networks

In Gastonia, NC, and Wilson, NC, city officials grew frustrated by the lack of passengers on their public bus networks.

In response, both cities opted to end their bus services and replace them with Uber-like on-demand services. Wilson did so first, in 2022.

The city replaced public buses with a rideshare service that lets riders go anywhere within city limits. The change led to an increase in cost, but also in ridership.

Wilson’s experience helped inspire the changes in Gastonia, which this year ended its bus service, replacing it with a fleet of on-demand vans.

Randi Gates, Gastonia’s transportation director, said in an interview with Transit Time that there were several reasons for moving away from the old system. Many city buses were two decades old and needed to be replaced. Bus routes covered only a fraction of the city. And buses arrived only once an hour, making the system inconvenient.

"All of those things are what led us to know that we needed to think about other alternatives for public transportation," Gates said.

More on implementing micro-transit systems appears in the October issue of Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter.

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