A Cimarron Public Transit Driver Shares His Experience with Microtransit in Rural Oklahoma

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Introduction

As part of our initiative to find new ways to capture and elevate mobility on-demand (MOD) drivers’ voices, we are pleased to share the perspective of William P., a driver for Cimarron Public Transit in northern Oklahoma. Cimarron Public Transit began in 1999 as a division of the United Community Action Program, Inc. (UCAP), a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing poverty in rural Oklahoma, and provides demand-response transportation to Creek, Kay, Pawnee, Osage, and Washington counties. 

Cimarron Public Transit is part of PICK Transportation, a consortium of rural transit agencies and 10 tribal nations which provides on-demand public transportation to 21 rural communities in Oklahoma. The four transit providers in the consortium have partnered in the past to connect veterans with rides across the region on weekdays, and realized through interactions with riders that a common transportation need in the area was after-hours transportation. Thus, the transit providers launched PICK Transportation to fill that need.

William’s Story

William has been driving for Cimarron Public Transit for two years, and finds it “rewarding to provide a service that’s needed in the community.” From his perspective, riders feel the same way about his work, stating that “most riders express their gratitude for having a responsive service in clean and comfortable vehicles.”

Cimarron Public Transit provides over 125,000 trips annually, more than half of which are for senior citizens or individuals with disabilities. William recognizes the impact that this service has on the community, particularly for elderly residents, as he notes that the service allows those people more freedom of travel. 

Along with other PICK agencies, Cimarron Public Transit has partnered with Via to provide dispatching, booking, payment, and trip planning software since July 2023 (a previous iteration of this program was developed in partnership with Uber). Customers can book rides through the PICK Transportation mobile app or by calling into the region’s mobility management center. On the operator side, this means that the platform automates scheduling and trip planning. 

Though adapting to new on-demand technologies can sometimes be a steep learning curve, William has found it relatively straightforward. He has not experienced any specific challenges interacting with the platform, nor has he faced issues with inaccurate directions for pick up/drop off locations. There are several positives that William has found with the on-demand platform, including less paperwork, and less of a need to communicate with dispatchers. 

Bringing drivers’ experiences to the forefront of MOD conversations adds a valuable perspective that can make for better systems for passengers, operations staff, planners, dispatchers, and drivers alike. Thank you to William and UCAP for helping share this story.

Download a copy of William’s story below:

Conclusion

William’s story reflects how new technologies applied to innovative mobility services can improve transit service, drivers’ everyday work, and riders’ experience. For more information on Cimarron Public Transit, which is part of the PICK Transportation Consortium, and to learn more about mobility on-demand technology and integrated transit service, check out our case study on Bringing Regional Mobility-on-Demand Service to Rural Oklahoma on the Mobility Learning Center.

Our effort to capture drivers’ stories is ongoing, and could use your help! If you are a transit agency or operator of MOD services and would like to participate in this project, contact us at mic@sharedusemobilitycenter.org for instructions and interview questions.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please email us at mic@sharedusemobilitycenter.org.