Wave Transit is sharing new data behind its successful on-demand microtransit service and complementary mobility app, RideMICRO. 

In January 2022, Wave Transit announced the official launch of RideMICRO, enabling locals to plan, pay, and ride shared transit trips. Created in partnership with Mobility as a Service solutions provider, Moovit, RideMICRO’s mission is to fill in the gaps created due to rapid sprawl throughout Wilmington and the surrounding area. High cost fixed route services weren’t meeting the needs of the community, offering limited transit network coverage, and high wait times and walk times for riders. 

Wave Transit worked with Moovit to plan and deploy RideMICRO, enabling locals to book, pay for, and board an on-demand ride from any one of more than 3,000 virtual stops. The service expanded to four zones, allowing riders to connect with Wave Transit’s fixed route service or travel directly to their destination. Users of the RideMICRO app are also able to view real-time arrival information of RideMicro or Wave Transit’s fixed route services, and track vehicles along their route. The result is a convenient, flexible service that offers decreased waiting and walking times. 

Here’s what the success looks like in the numbers:

• Daily passengers increased 800% since launch; More than a quarter of that increase occurred since April when Zone 4 was launched to serve Northern New Hanover County

• Monthly ridership increased 7x since March 2022

• Cost of service per passenger decreased 85% since launch

• On-demand bookings mostly originate from the RideMICRO app at 70%

• Percentage of rides broken down by zone:

• • Zone 1- Northern Brunswick: 11%
  • Zone 2 – Southeast Pender: 15%
  • Zone 3 – Southern New Hanover: 35%
  • Zone 4 – Northern New Hanover: 39%

“Our regular customers have been booking more trips, more frequently as the program develops,” said Marie Parker, Wave Transit’s Executive Director. “With Moovit’s platform, we’ve built a program our community is excited to try and expand public transit access for three counties.”

“When we launched our partnership with Wave Transit, we vowed to make it easier for Wilmington locals to commute across the region using public and shared transportation, and decrease walk and wait times,” said Yovav Meydad, Moovit’s Chief Marketing and Growth Officer at Moovit. “We’ve worked diligently with Wave Transit to make this a reality, and the numbers speak for themselves. We look forward to continuing this important work together.” 

In December 2022, Wave Transit announced it will also accelerate the expansion of its RideMICRO services into Castle Hayne to provide services in areas that are underserved or unserved.