The one-year pilot program, called OC Flex, allows passengers to request a ride on demand through a mobile app. The shuttles, much smaller than a typical 40-foot bus, take passengers curb-to-curb within two designated zones.
OCTA, which launched the program in mid-October in two Orange County areas, is on the leading edge of a nationwide trend toward microtransit services that provides more flexibility for passengers.
"This is a great example of OCTA entirely rethinking what public transitmeans and delivering options that better meet the needs of an individual community," said OCTA Chairwoman Lisa Bartlett, also the county's Fifth District Supervisor. "We hope that this innovative alternative will help introduce more people to the convenience of leaving their cars at home."
The shuttles, each capable of holding up to eight passengers, take riders straight from their pickup location to their destination within two designated zones – one in Huntington Beach and Westminster, and the other in Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel.
Riders pay for $4.50 when using the OC Flex Mobile app – developed by the rideshare company Via – or they can pay $5 cash, with no surge pricing. One fare provides unlimited daily rides in either zone and free connections to OCTA's traditional bus service and rail transit.
"A public agency's willingness to evolve and tailor solutions to market demands is a critical factor in effectively meeting the diverse needs of the public," said OCTA CEO Darrell E. Johnson. "The OC Flex pilot program achieves this through a combination of innovation, technology and private-sector partnerships."
The program is part of a larger OCTA initiative called OC Bus 360°, launched in 2016 to tackle shifting travel patterns and declining ridership experienced by transit agencies nationwide.
OC Flex operates seven days a week and wheelchair-accessible vehicles are operated by professional drivers who undergo background checks and extensive safety training.
The service during the pilot program is primarily funded with a grant from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee, which supports projects that remove cars from the road and reduce air pollution.
OCTA will collect and analyze OC Flex data throughout the year so the board of directors can determine by the end of the pilot program whether to continue and, potentially, expand the service.
