Expanding Late Night Transportation Options in Boise, ID

Boise, Idaho is the fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States. The City of Boise and local transit authority Valley Regional Transit (VRT) are coping with this growth by expanding and supplementing their existing fixed route bus system. VRT recognizes the increasing role that technology has played in mobility in recent years, and as a result, they began looking to leverage a technology-enabled service like Lyft to expand and enhance the current public transportation options for their riders. VRT officials were specifically looking for a way to provide service after traditional bus service has ended at night and before it begins in the morning.

The Challenge

Providing frequent late-night and early morning transit service is often particularly challenging for public transit agencies, as low ridership makes this service very expensive per passenger trip. Nonetheless, late-night transit service can be a critical lifeline for many people working second-and third-shift jobs. Sometimes a commuter has access to traditional transit services for the start of their shift, but the service may be unavailable to use at the end of their shift. This transportation access barrier makes it more difficult for employers to attract and retain workers, and for employees to reliably access available jobs they desire.

The Solution

To overcome these challenges, VRT partnered with Lyft whose technology and experience with these types of programs created an ideal opportunity for collaboration. The VRT-Lyft Late Night partnership leverages Lyft’s ride-hailing and matching technology platform to provide Boise, Garden City, and Nampa riders with a safe and reliable alternative for work trips during the overnight service period when VRT buses are not in operation. Rider pays a flat fare of $3 per ride, with VRT covering the remaining ride cost up to $20. VRT has set up multiple ways for riders to qualify and participate, and once approved, Lyft can activate the code in the rider’s account remotely and the discount will be automatically applied to any eligible ride.

Outcome and Impact

After launching in January 2019, the program expanded six months later to include additional service areas west of Boise. “Many of the available jobs are second- and third-shift jobs, and those later hours are not serviced by the traditional bus system,” City Go director Kaite Justice said. “Because the program has been incredibly beneficial to our Boise riders, we have decided to expand the program to Nampa to provide more people with more opportunities to reach economic self-sufficiency in our community.”