TWIN FALLS — City Transit Coordinator Maxine Durand remembers it well.
It was the morning of July 1, 2023 — the launch day of Ride TFT, the Twin Falls public transportation system — and there was a problem. Only two of the six vans for the new microtransit system had been delivered to the city.
"We were worried, wondering if we were going to get the vans on time — were we going to have to push the launch day back," said Durand, who was hired just a couple weeks before the program launched.
Not to fear. The remainder of the vans arrived around noon, and drivers got through the day.
There was a newness to the launch, something the city had never done before, Durand remembers, and more than 3,000 rides were given that first month, with a total of 4,338 passengers.
A year has passed, and in that 365 days Ride TFT gave 64,491 rides and shuttled 82,020 passengers, Durand said.
"I think it's been a huge success," she said.
There for those who need it
Along the way, she said the city offers a way for the handicapped and elderly, many of them on limited incomes, to more fully integrate with the community.
Of the Ride TFT rides in the first year, 52% have been at the reduced $1 cost for the disabled or those at least 60. The regular price is $3 per ride anywhere within city limits.
Year-end numbers show the need for affordable public transportation, Durand said.
"There's a reason why people are relying on us. It's not just that fares are cheap," she said. "it's because they are affordable to those who need them."
Ride TFT is the name of the on-demand transit service, which allows people to call for a ride using an app or by phone.
The city was obligated to start planning a public transportation system once hitting the 50,000 population mark but had to decide what it would look like. Idaho Falls tried a fixed-route system and decided on microtransit.
A variety of uses
Durand admits there is room for improvement. For example, just two of its vans are capable of transporting wheelchairs. For someone who needs one of those vans, the wait time can be up to 1.5 hours if the person doesn't reserve in advance, she said.
Among the users is Shawn McCauley, 58, who moved to Bridgeview Estates in Twin Falls shortly after becoming disabled.
McCauley uses Ride TFT, which transports his power wheelchair when he goes to medical appointments or visits friends.
Without the lower-cost fares, "it would be much more difficult (to pay)," he wrote to the Times-News.
Durand says she regularly receives questions about the low fares and answers queries by saying it's because tax dollars are being put to work.
Public transportation systems throughout the country are not meant to be self-sustaining, Durand said, and the $119,000 in fares collected during the year were not anywhere close to covering the cost of expenses such as salaries, vehicle maintenance and dispatch services. The total cost for Ride TFT was more than $1.3 million in the first year, funded by a grant. The actual cost to the system translates to about $16 per passenger or $20.78 per ride.
Ride TFT got its start with a $3 million CARES grant to fund the program for two years. After that, the city is expected to turn to a different type of federal grant money, one that will require a city match expected to be close to 35%.
That could mean coming up with nearly $500,000 in matching funds earned from fares, selling advertisements on vans, and contributions by organizations that benefit from the transit system. The biggest piece of the pie, Durand said, will likely be from the city of Twin Falls budget.
Dependent on community support
City Manager Travis Rothweiler said he's confident the city will come up with the money to appropriately finance the public transportation system, which he said has demonstrated its value.
Durand said she is against increasing fares.
Durand said she is made aware of complaints by people who said they had to wait large amounts of time to be picked up.
On-demand rides, made without prior scheduling, make up about 70% of the total rides, and they don't come with a guaranteed pick-up time, she said. In addition, some passengers are confused by the app's timer, which first shows the time it will take for a driver to be assigned the ride in the system, and then changes to the time it will take for a driver to make the pick-up.
The real-time clock adjusts depending on circumstances, she said.
"For someone who is riding during peak times, when our on-demand wait time can be anywhere from five to 90 minutes, that can be very frustrating, especially if they are waiting outside," she wrote to the Times-News.
She said scheduled rides are typically on time, but she encourages feedback from customers who experience problems.
To cut wait times, the remedy would be to put more vans on the streets, but finances don't allow for that, although Durand hopes for more resources in coming years. Ride TFT has added two vans since the launch date, she said, and pick-up times dipped temporarily only to rise again because of increased demand.
She encouraged the public to stay involved with the public transportation system.
"This is really going to live or die by the community support that it gets," Durand said.
Need a lift?
Schedule a ride with Ride TFT by downloading the Twin Falls Transit app or calling 974-7433.
Service Hours
Mondays — Thursdays: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Fridays: 6 a.m. to Midnight
Saturdays: 7 a.m. to Midnight
Sundays: Closed
Ride TFT is closed for on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
After-hours services
Fridays and Saturdays: 9 p.m. to midnight
After Hours Ride TFT services and Ride TFT service to the Twin Falls Airport cost $10 per ride, instead of the standard $3.
Eric Goodell reports for the Times-News. Reach him at [email protected].
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