Candice Knight typically takes the Camden Loop to work and back, but sometimes has used it up to four times a day, she says. As someone who doesn’t drive, the ride-share service has been reliable, and she hopes it will continue.
“It’s just really a good program and I enjoy using it all the time, because I utilize it so much,” she said.
The microtransit service, which launched last year, allows customers to book a ride for $2 and travel primarily within the city limits service area.
Knight, 43, who works in hospitality operations, used to take the bus to work but says the ride-share service is more reliable in terms of timing, and it’s convenient to be picked up near her home. As a regular commuter, she knows many of the drivers, whom she described as friendly, and even tries to help them with directions sometimes.
“Our residents have professed a very strong gratitude for the convenience that’s been provided, and it’s just been a crucial role for our community,” said Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen.
Camden Community Partnership (CCP), a private nonprofit behind the program, was aware that transportation was an obstacle for Camden residents to connect with employment, education, and other services, said Joseph Myers, CCP’s chief operating officer.
“The origin of kind of the idea of the Camden Loop was that understanding [that] transportation is a barrier,” Myers said. “It all starts with the community identifying that there’s a need.”
In the past year since launching, the rideshare has completed over 46,000 rides, according to Via, the company that operates the program. Now, officials behind the program say they’re thinking through how they can make the program sustainable.
“Heading into now year two, we’re definitely looking to ways that we can expand some of the services,” said Robert Corrales, CCP vice president.
The program in Camden is run by Via, a company started in 2012 that uses technology to address transportation needs. Riders who book a ride are matched with a driver and other customers who might be heading in the same direction. The business has over 150 similar ride-share programs in the countryincluding in Jersey City, Birmingham, Ala., and Arlington, Texas.
The Camden Loop launched with $6.2 million secured in state funds last year, and there is enough funding to sustain the service at least through 2025, say program leaders. They’re also looking to raise funds from private donors and sponsors, as well as hoping to work with other partners such as Cooper University Hospital, as demand for the program grows.
“In the world of nonprofits, like we are, we’re constantly looking for additional resources and thinking a year or two ahead in terms of how can this be sustainable,” Myers said. “The long term goal is to look at the private sector and other philanthropic funders to help kind of take it to the next level.”
Via surveyed 36 of its most frequent riders in May and found that 44% of riders say they most often use the service to travel to a job. The largest share of riders, 28%, were between the ages of 35 and 44, but 11% of riders were between 65 and 74. The majority of riders, 69%, said they don’t have access to a car in their household. According to other data gathered by Via, 21% of rides are to schools.
Beyond filling a need, the program has also been providing quality service, says Corrales.
“Camden residents will be quick to tell you, if you’re providing something that’s subpar,” he said.
Another positive is that the program employs local residents, Carstarphen said. The Camden Loop launched with 11 drivers last year and now has 22 — nearly 90% of which are Camden residents, which make on average $20 to $22 per hour, according to Via.
Carstarphen says he’d like to see more vehicles in the future, which means more jobs. The eventual goal is that 100% of drivers will be Camden residents, said Corrales.
According to Via, two more vehicles are expected to be added to the fleet of six currently in use — that’s up from five when the program first started. Currently, two vehicles are wheelchair accessible.
Corrales said they’re considering ways to broaden the program.
One idea is to offer service to connect locals with seasonal employment during the winter holidays, which might be beyond the confines of the current service area, Corrales said.
Riders have asked about weekend service, since the Camden Loop only runs during the weekdays. Knight says she would use the service to go food shopping or use the laundromat if it was available on the weekends.
“I wish they could do weekends,” she said. “That’d be so good.”
___
© 2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
