KENORA — Kenora is riding The Wave, and seems to be enjoying it.
It’s been about two months since a new microtransit system "The Wave" launched in Kenora, and it’s already showing successful results.
In a presentation to Kenora city council this week, Matt Worona, a principal with The Wave's parent company Via Transportation, said use of the new rideshare service has already outpaced the previous city bus service, averaging three times the ridership.
“We can compare because we have those pieces of data from that (previous) service, so we have an understanding of how many rides were served and how frequently it was used,” he said.
From the week of October 15 to the week of November 18, riders used the service over 10,000 times.
The Wave is an alternative to traditional city transportation system, replacing the Kenora bus which was deemed unrepairable earlier this year with on-demand van service.
Users can request a ride either using an app or by phoning. They can track where the van is and get a real time estimated time of arrival. Worona said the average arrival time is just over 14 minutes, a 75% decrease in average wait time from the bus transportation system. And most people are using the app.
“It helps us be more dynamic with the users,” he said, stating 95% of users are booking this way.
The Wave can handle up to 203 people ride per day with the three vans that are in service. The average ride is just under 10 minutes, a long way from the bus loop that much longer on average, with fewer stops available. Riders now have an average walking distance of 130 metres to their stop, down 68%.
The Wave has received 680 ride ratings directly from users and 94% have given it five-star reviews.
The service runs Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There are currently 8 stops in the central and western parts of the city.
With their early success and a provincial grant application in progress, the company plans to increase the service area into the eastern part of Kenora. They also plan to work towards improved service at high demand times, coinciding with shift changes or when people are more likely to wrap up their workday.
