Town of Cobourg was faced with re-evaluating its entire public transit system because the existing paratransit service relied on an outdated platform that created operational inefficiencies. At the same time, the fixed-route buses were being underutilized due to infrequent service and limited coverage across town.
The Town of Cobourg in Ontario, Canada was looking to innovate its transit system in order to address the challenges it was currently facing. To create an effective solution, RideCo’s On-Demand transit service had to resolve Cobourg’s current issues of its limited coverage with 60-minute service frequency and its inefficient paratransit platform.
Together, Town of Cobourg and RideCo launched Cobourg Rides with a combined WHEELS paratransit and conventional on-demand transit service that completely replaced the fixed-route system. Instead, Cobourg Rides provides town-wide coverage and has decreased service frequency from 60 minutes to 15 minutes. The service has also achieved 4.5+ passengers per vehicle hour, 67% shared rides on weekdays, and 95%+ on-time performance. Through its partnership with RideCo, Town of Cobourg’s innovation in commingled service delivery has been recognized by the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) and was awarded the 2022 CUTA Award in the Innovation Category.
