SacRT to discontinue SmaRT Ride due to high costs, plans rideshare voucher program

By Sara Beth Williams–
Sacramento Regional Transit District recently announced its on-demand SmaRT Ride program will be ending due to a lack of funding, high costs of operation, and low ridership.

The regional transit agency announced in a news release that has since been removed from their website, that the company is still working on a pilot program that will utilize rideshare service companies. SmaRT Ride services are being discontinued as of Jan. 1, 2025, according to the agency’s website.

During the City Council meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 25, Councilmember Tim Schaefer, who is the alternate seat for former Mayor Bret Daniels on the Sacramento Regional Transit District board of directors, said “big changes” were coming to the SmaRT Ride program and added that the proposed changes are a “great idea.”

Schaefer reported that the program is out of funding and that one SmaRT Ride trip costs the transit agency $47. A SacRT staff report dated Sept. 23 revealed that the program’s annual operating costs, including fleet replacements, exceed $8.4 million. Local news reports indicate the on-demand program only handles one percent of Sacramento Regional Transit riders.

The SmaRT Ride program operates in nine different zones in portions of Sacramento County, with 45 shuttles that offer “curb to curb” service in Citrus Heights, Antelope, and Orangevale and “corner to corner “service in other areas. The Sacramento Regional Transit District operates throughout much of Sacramento County, from Citrus Heights in the north to Elk Grove in the south.

The agency’s staff report indicated that the transit district has been “exploring development” of a rideshare voucher program for several months, where SacRT would provide discount codes or vouchers to customers to “partially” offset the cost of travel on a rideshare service, such as a discount of $5.00 per rideshare trip.

The SmaRT Ride program was introduced in 2018 as an on demand rideshare option for regional transit customers servicing several specified zones within cities and unincorporated areas in Sacramento County. The program operates Monday through Friday and serves as an alternative option to Lyft and Uber rideshare services, as well as a way to connect customers to other fixed transit locations.

Customers only pay the standard cost of a regional transit bus or light rail ticket. The pilot program utilized “City Ride” buses, which are smaller, neighborhood-friendly transit buses that are also wheelchair friendly. Groups of five or more can also travel for free, according to SacRT’s website.

The September staff report indicated that the program began with a lump sum of $14 million but that rising costs, including “insurance, inflation and labor” have impacted the entire transit industry and the agency is experiencing “severe operating deficits.” The report indicates that SacRT is “fairing better” than many other transit agencies and is working on securing new funding. The agency estimates that a pilot rideshare voucher program would cost an estimated $800,000 annually, roughly one tenth of the current annual SmaRT Ride program cost.

The proposed new rideshare voucher program is expected to be fully funded by local STA Neighborhood Shuttle Program funds, according to the report. The new pilot program is anticipated to begin in January.