Eau Claire Ending Microtransit Pilot Program After Year of Service

The City of Eau Claire has announced it will officially end the Northern Lite Pilot Program this week after a year of service.

According to a press release, the operations of the on-demand microtransit ride-share service will officially end on Friday. The program allowed Eau Claire residents to book curb-to-curb trips through the Northern Lite app or by phone at a more affordable rate than the typical privately-owned ride-share service.

The program originally launched last July with the goal of determining whether enough residents would use the service to continue it beyond the one year pilot period. The idea was to give residents without access to their own reliable transportation or nearby public transit options another way to navigate the area, specifically residents struggling with mobility issues.

With the conclusion of the pilot period however, City officials have determined that the service was not being used enough to continue offering it. Transportation officials thanked residents who participated in the pilot program in the press release for the feedback they provided. They also say they will use that feedback to help inform future transit planning decisions as well as exploring similar potential initiatives.

Eau Claire Transit has made a number of other significant changes over the last year, including opening the long-awaited new downtown transfer center. Another policy change now allows kids and students to ride the bus for free. The idea behind that initiative is to teach area kids how to navigate the transit system and show them how useful it can be now in the hope that they’ll continue to use it in the future as fare-paying adults.