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Spare steps in to power expanded on-demand microtransit in Reno, Nevada area

The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County introduces more zones to feed its fixed-route network


Kristoffer Vik Hansen

Oct. 29, 2020 (Vancouver, Canada) — Spare, the world’s leading provider of on-demand mobility software, has secured a contract to power the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County’s (RTC Washoe) FlexRIDE microtransit service.

Spare will enable RTC Washoe, which serves Nevada’s second-largest metropolitan area including the cities of Reno and Sparks, to expand FlexRIDE from two to three zones covering the neighborhoods of Sparks/Spanish Springs, Somersett/Verdi, and the North Valleys. This expanded service will better connect passengers in areas not previously served by transit to the existing fixed-route transit network.

RTC FlexRIDE service area

Spare’s open platform integrates easily with any third-party app, enabling a fluid transition from mode-to-mode. Passengers using microtransit can use the RTC Washoe smartphone app to both book their on-demand trip and journey plan from the first-mile to the last.

“In Spare, we found a partner with a well-thought platform and customer-facing app that our passengers can use to book their transit. They can also continue to call in their booking if they choose. This flexibility will have a significant impact on the customer experience and encourage more people to give transit a try,” says Bill Thomas, RTC Washoe’s executive director.

FlexRide service vehicle

As a data-driven, automated platform, Spare facilitates robust, transparent reporting, which provides transit agencies with rich information to help shape and enhance their service.

“The ability for a transit agency to understand and make decisions based on its own data is one of Spare’s principal tenets. We are happy that we can help guide our partner in Nevada to make the most of its transit service,” says Spare CEO Kristoffer Vik Hansen.

RTC Washoe’s curbside-to-curbside microtransit service runs daily from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. and employs a fleet of eight vehicles. Once riders set up their profile in the new Spare-powered RTC Washoe FlexRIDE app, they are immediately connected to the microtransit service and can start booking on-demand rides right away.

To find out more how your community’s microtransit service can benefit from a self-serve app, drop us a line at hello@sparelabs.com.