Cobourg, ON., [Date]  — The Town of Cobourg, faced a pressing need to revamp its public transit infrastructure due to operational inefficiencies in its existing paratransit service and underutilization of fixed-route buses. In response, the town sought innovative solutions to enhance coverage and frequency while improving overall service quality. 

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Mayor John Henderson of the Town of Cobourg emphasized, "For a town the size of Cobourg and based on our transit system’s needs, on-demand... is a right-sized solution." To address these issues, the Town of Cobourg embarked on a journey to transform its transit system leading them to a partnership with Rideco.

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In partnership with RideCo, a leading provider of on-demand transit solutions, the Town of Cobourg unveiled Cobourg Rides, a groundbreaking transit service that integrates WHEELS paratransit and conventional on-demand transit services. This innovative approach completely replaced the fixed-route system, offering town-wide coverage and significantly enhancing service frequency from 60-minute intervals to 15 minutes.

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Cobourg Rides has achieved remarkable success since its launch, boasting impressive statistics such as 4.5+ passengers per vehicle hour, 67% shared rides on weekdays, and over 95% on-time performance. The collaborative effort between the Town of Cobourg and RideCo has garnered recognition from the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA). 

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In 2022, Cobourg's innovative commingled service delivery model earned the prestigious 2022 CUTA Award in the Innovation Category, further validating the impact and ingenuity of the partnership.

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About CUTA 

Transit agencies and the companies that supply them work tirelessly to keep transit running. The CUTA Awards are a way to honor and celebrate the achievements of individuals and organizations that go above and beyond. Visit cutaactu.ca/events/awards to learn more. 

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About RideCo 

RideCo is an industry leader in on-demand transit technology, enabling on-demand ridesharing for transit riders around the globe. We partner with transit agencies, municipalities, and experienced local fleet operators to design and operate on-demand transit services. Our solutions reduce travel time, decrease walking distance, and increase service frequency for riders while lowering transit agencies' cost-per-ride, reducing demand for parking, and attracting net new riders to transit systems. RideCo continuously drives new innovation and to-date has been awarded U.S. Patent Nos. 10,248,913; 10,853,743; and 11,429,910. To learn more about our proprietary cloud-based platform and how it can revolutionize mobility in your city, visit www.rideco.com.