The big picture
At a Feb. 11 meeting, City Council members approved a three-year contract with TRIPPP Consulting, a public transit consulting company.
The contract allows residents or visitors within Georgetown city limits to access ride-hail vouchers within the Uber app or through a 24/7 call center, Georgetown Transportation Manager Lua Saluone said during a presentation to council.
It will take about two months to get the program running, he said.
Riders will pay an initial fare of $4, and the city of Georgetown will cover the next $10, according to city documents.
“Anything on top of that, the rider would have to pay,” Saluone said.
Riders requiring wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAV) will still pay the initial $4 fare, but the remaining cost will be subsidized by the city. Riders will be capped at requesting 10 trips per month through the program, excluding riders requiring WAV trips, Saluone said.
Rides to the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Round Rock, which is less than a mile from Georgetown’s boundary, can also be requested, Saluone said.
Some context
The city’s only other transportation system is through GoGeo, which is operated by the Capital Area Rural Transportation System, or CARTS, as a subcontractor for CapMetro, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
CARTS offers curb-to-curb service from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, and requires a $2 payment each way, according to the city’s website. The TRIPP program will offer rides 24/7, District 1 council member Amanda Parr said.
“This would actually be [an] expanded service,” Parr said.
CARTS services will continue running in conjunction with the TRIPPP program until the city’s year-long contract with CARTS expires in September, Saluone said. Then, officials can decide whether to continue with the CARTS contract.
Going forward
Officials originally planned to launch the vouchers in October 2024, according to previous Community Impact reporting. Staff will return to council in about six months to present an update on the program’s progress.
The estimated total cost of the program is $858,600, according to city documents. Fiscal year 2025-26, FY 2026-27 and FY 2027-28 ride-hail vouchers will require annual approval, per city documents.
