LYNNWOOD, Wash. — People in the Alderwood neighborhood of Lynnwood will have a new way to get around town starting Thursday.
The city is testing a one-year pilot program for an on-demand ride service that will cost as much as a bus fare.
With the new Link Light Rail scheduled to open in mid-2024, city officials said they wanted to test more public transportation options especially to and from the area around the Lynnwood Transit Center.
"That first and last mile is often a barrier for people using public transit so this service can help bridge that gap," said Kevin Futhey, a transportation specialist at Community Transit.
The service itself will operate much like Uber or Lyft. People can book rides using the Goin' - Rides for all app daily from 5 a.m. - 10 p.m. They can also enter a pick-up and drop-off location.
Futhey said there will be about four Zip shuttles in service to start with the city adding more depending on the demand. The goal is to have no longer than a 10-15 minute wait.
Community transit and the city worked with community leaders to help design the pilot, including Kresha Green who runs housing services for the YWCA in Lynnwood.
"Having access that's flexible that they can either pull up on their phone or make a phone call and meet than where they're at that's going to be a huge opportunity," said Green, who also added some people have told her the program sounds too good to be true. "It sounds amazing it sounds like its something that would benefit my family, but I want to see it in action."
While Zip shuttle is slated as a pilot program, Futhey said it's their hope to continue it.
"At the end of the year we will be doing surveys on if it was successful," Futhey said.
Success will be measured by ridership, feedback and if the program makes economic sense for the city.
"We want people to use it for that doctor's appointment and after-school activities, but also to the fun stuff within the community," Futhey said.