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A city of Pflugerville report shows a 300% increase in monthly rides given through the city’s Pfetch a Ride program in fiscal year 2022-23.
The full story
The Pfetch a Ride program offers round-the-clock ride services via Uber every day of the week.
When riders utilize the Pfetch a Ride voucher, they pay an initial $4 while the city of Pflugerville covers up to $10 of the remaining ride cost. Users are then responsible for any costs beyond $14.
The average cost of a Pfetch a Ride trip in the city of Pflugerville was $6.75 for FY 2022-23, according to a presentation to Pflugerville City Council on Dec. 12.
City Council approved the partnership with Uber in August 2022, and the program began in October 2022, which effectively ended the formerly used CapMetro ride program.
The program expanded the previous service area from a narrow strip near downtown to the entire city.
“This is a novel concept. ... We’ve had much more access and expansion than we did in the 3.4 miles that we had in the previous program,” Place 4 council member Rudy Metayer said.
Pfetch a Ride has also expanded the hours of operation for the city’s ride-share program, now servicing the area 24/7. However, riders are limited to 10 trips per month.City staff noted that information for the ride-share program, including the voucher QR code, has been distributed throughout the city, specifically to local hotels and bars.
“That helps us to also market our city as one of the safest cities in the region, [which aligns with] our main goals and missions by using Pfetch a Ride in the bars,” Place 3 council member Kimberly Holiday said.
A representative for the transportation consulting service in the partnership, Rick Coach, pointed out several hotspots for ride drop-offs and pickups within the city. Amazon, Tech Ridge and Stonehill show the largest number of consistent traffic.
Council members said many of the rides appear to be used for daily commutes within the city during business hours.
According to Coach, 10% of riders max out their vouchers each month. Council members voiced concerns that those most in need of the program are not able to fully benefit under the current voucher restrictions.Place 5 council member Jim McDonald suggested the program double the number of vouchers for riders next year.
Planning & Development Services Director Jeremy Frazzell noted the budget has been raised from $180,000 in FY 2022-23 to $270,000 for FY 2023-24, in order to address both the voucher limitations and additional growth of the Pfetch a Ride program.
What else?
One component of the program includes providing paratransit ride services. Pfetch a Ride uses Maruti Transportation Group and the company's wheelchair-accessible vehicles to provide rides throughout the city, and these rides are not subject to voucher quantity limitations.
Frazzell said the initial cost to retain round-the-clock ride services for paratransit vehicles was expensive. However, the program has gained popularity, helping to level out costs associated with this component of the program.
The average cost of a paratransit ride began at $76.89 in October 2022 and gradually decreased to an average of $38.11 by the end of the FY 2022-23.
The city has made a discount QR code available for up to $50 per WAV ride on its website.
What you need to know
Anyone can use the monthly voucher program to access discounted rides within city limits, according to city documents.
Individuals are able to utilize the ride-share discounts via the Uber app and QR codes on the city’s website, while there is an additional 24-hour call line available to assist in securing a ride at 877-973-4262.
