Tompkins Weekly

Tconnect on-demand travel service comes to Dryden


A TCAT representative demonstrates how to use the new Tconnect service through the HyperCommute app. Tconnect is TCAT’s new on-demand transportation service and currently runs in the Lansing, Etna and Dryden areas. Photo provided.

Tconnect, TCAT’s app-based, on-demand transportation service, officially came to Dryden for the first time Aug. 9 and will run on weekdays going forward. The goal of the service is to reduce transportation barriers for Dryden-area residents, according to a recent press release.

Dryden Dispatch by Jessica Wickham

Tconnect officially launched last August in the Lansing-Etna area with weekend-only service using TCAT’s smaller 30-foot buses to transport people to and from TCAT’s Route 30 to The Shops at Ithaca Mall, along with a few additional locations.

In Dryden, Tconnect uses Gadabout Transportation Inc. buses to connect riders with TCAT’s Route 43 village stop, located at 30 W. Main St. The Dryden service also stops at popular locations in the area like Clarks Shurfine, Southworth Library and Dryden Agway.

Tconnect riders can use the HyperCommute app, created by Urban Mobility Inc., to book a trip and view the Tconnect bus’s location in real time. Riders can also book the service by calling (607) 273-1878. Riders can expect to be picked up near their location within 30 minutes of the time they wish to board, according to TCAT’s website, t.ly/UKdi. A tutorial on how to use the service can be found at t.ly/hNTo.

According to TCAT’s announcement regarding the service, the Tconnect model has been in the works for over two years and was created out of a partnership between TCAT, Urban Mobility, Gadabout and Way2Go, a program under Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County.

Matt Yarrow, TCAT assistant general manager, said Tconnect is focused on addressing “transit deserts,” low-density residential pockets that don’t have enough demand to cover the high cost of fixed-route transit but do have enough population to merit a less-costly on-demand service. The on-demand model is referred to as “first-mile, last-mile” transportation or microtransit services.

“If you look at data over the past decade, housing prices in the urbanized area in Ithaca have really increased, and certain folks have been pushed out to the periphery, either in Tompkins County or sometimes beyond,” Yarrow said. “What that means is that you have people that may not have a very reliable source of transportation. Sometimes they can avail themselves to TCAT’s normal routes. But sometimes, that service isn’t enough. And, obviously, we can’t run on all the rural roads. It’d be way too cost prohibitive.”

Yarrow said that TCAT considered some kind of on-demand service to fill that gap, and prior to the pandemic, Urban Mobility founder and CEO Hari Udyapuram was in town, and TCAT began conversations with him on getting Urban Mobility in on the project.

When Tconnect was in its early stages, the original plan was to launch the program in Dryden in April of 2020 as a weekday-only service. Yarrow explained why Dryden was TCAT’s first choice.

“Dryden village has a relatively sizable population compared to some of the other hamlets, and we wanted to make sure there was a big enough audience that we would hopefully be successful in attracting riders to the new service,” Yarrow said. “Another factor is there’s kind of a diversity of income in the Dryden area. So, you have some folks who are fairly well-to-do, and you also have areas of low-income housing. … And there’s potentially areas of folks who are not right on TCAT’s Route 43 that may need additional transit service or would avail themselves to a transit service if offered.”

The pandemic unfortunately disrupted those plans and caused a significant decrease in TCAT ridership. TCAT had to implement steep service reductions, which made it infeasible to launch an on-demand service that depended on a fixed weekday route, Route 43.

Tconnect, TCAT’s new on-demand transportation service, uses Gadabout buses in the Dryden area. Photo provided.

But TCAT decided to pivot rather than abandon the project altogether, opting to launch the service on a much more limited basis in the Lansing and Etna area last August. This year, the timetable on the NYSERDA grant that helped fund the project is running out, so TCAT decided this summer to revisit its original plans and work to finally bring Tconnect to Dryden, as Yarrow explained.

“As we’re nearing the end of the grant, I think we all kind of thought, ‘Well, hey, we have to go back. We have to try this,’” he said. “We had already had contact with people in the Dryden area, both residents and members of the village and the town, and we wanted to fulfill our promise and bring it around full circle.”

Dryden Town Supervisor Jason Leifer said he’s glad that TCAT was able to bring Tconnect to Dryden after initial delays. He said in his experience both within and outside his role in town administration, he’s seen the effects of limited transportation options, which he said Tconnect will help address.

“It’s a good idea just because in all the rural towns, the bus routes are limited, so getting people to the main route is how you’re going to boost ridership,” he said. “In my court work, I have clients constantly who live a mile away from a bus stop because they can’t afford rent any closer. So, anything that helps people like that get to transit so they can get to things they need to do, like whether it’s jobs or doctor appointments, is good.”

Yarrow said that TCAT’s experience in Lansing and Etna with Tconnect helped shape what the service looks like in Dryden. Now that the program is in Dryden, the next step is to wait.

“We have our fingers crossed,” Yarrow said. “We hope that people will find this useful. And I think one message I do want to put out there is, as with any type of pilot type of service, if people use it, then there’s a better chance that we can find a way to make it stay in the long term. If people aren’t really using it, then it’ll probably, at the end of the grant funding, kind of wither on the vine. So, we really hope that people engage with this.”

If Tconnect proves successful in Dryden, TCAT plans to extend the service to other transit deserts throughout the county, fulfilling a goal set out in TCAT’s new transit development plan to increase TCAT’s on-demand services.

Leifer said that while Tconnect will likely help address many transit challenges for the area, there will still be unmet needs. For that, he said he’d like to see further efforts to address remaining gaps in the future, both within and outside of Dryden.

“One of the challenges I know TCAT was having was having drivers,” Leifer said. “What would help overall is if you have smaller buses that allow people with a regular license to drive rather than something that requires a CDL license, which is what the heavier trucks require, I think you could probably address the driver shortage and maybe the route shortage a little bit better. But that’s going to take money anyway for both drivers and more buses. I think everyone knows the answer. The answer is money, and where do you find it.”

As mentioned previously, there are several ways Dryden-area riders can book a trip with Tconnect. They can use the HyperCommute app (available for free on Google Play or Apple Store), call the Gadabout Dispatch at (607) 273-1878 or email Gadabout at gadaboutgroup@tcatmail.com. Same-day service requests via phone or email must be submitted before 4:30 p.m.

In addition to the previously listed tutorial video, Tconnect team members will be conducting outreach sessions to help educate residents about the service. TCAT welcomes would-be riders to reach out by emailing tcat@tcatmail.com (write Tconnect in the subject line) or calling (607) 277-RIDE and ask for a Tconnect team member.

In Brief:

Freeville Community Summer Picnic

The annual Freeville Community Summer Picnic, organized by the Freeville Community Council, will be held Aug. 12 at 2 p.m. at the Freeville Elementary School pavilion, 43 Main St.

There will be a small twist to the event this year. Rather than a potluck, Council members encourage attendees to bring their own picnic. The Freeville Community Council will be serving up refreshments and tasty frozen treats for all.

All are welcome, so plan to walk on over after the Freeville Farmers Market, held from noon to 2 p.m., and spend some time with your neighbors.

Historic Etna Community Church to hold benefit for local man

Historic Etna Community Church will hold a benefit Aug. 15 from 2 to 3 p.m. for an area resident dealing with cancer. The event will be a concert by Billboard-charting singer-songwriter Sherry Anne. All are welcome. Admission is free, but a love offering will be taken. The church is located at 1 Upper Creek Rd., Etna, just outside of Freeville. For more information, call Pastor Bob Brackett at (607) 280-6334.

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