OCEAN CITY – A process that recently required planning three days ahead will be available with the press of touchscreen, as Cape May County’s Fare Free Transportation launches its first ride app, in Ocean City.
From 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, anyone over 18 can use the app on their smartphone or device to request a ride anywhere in the barrier island city. They can see where the Fare Free driver is and how long before they will be picked up and dropped off.
If the pilot program, in Ocean City, is a success, it will soon be available anywhere in Cape May County, according to Daniel Mulraney, director, Fare Free Transportation.
“We picked Ocean City because they have a nice year-round population,” Mulraney said. Plus, he said, the county’s northern end is underserved by Fare Free, with fewer people requesting rides than in other areas.
The pilot program may build ridership and introduce more people to the service.
“We needed to change both of those things, to provide more service and to make it more accessible,” Mulraney said.
“Today’s technology has allowed us to better serve the residents of Cape May County and help to increase our ridership. It was important for Fare Free Transportation services to remain relevant and keep up with the fast-paced world we live in,” stated Freeholder E. Marie Hayes, in a prepared statement announcing the pilot program.
She commended Mulraney and his staff as forward-thinking and persistent.
“This is the wave of the future, and we are ready to serve our residents,“ Hayes added.
The rides are free, as is the app, which can be found on a smartphone’s app center, at “CMCOnDemand.” Those who have questions or need more details can call 609-889-3700, where they can also schedule a ride. It takes a couple of minutes to install the app, which allows users to schedule a ride or request one immediately.
It uses the phone’s location to show a map of the city, where the vehicle is, where the user is, and the approximate pickup time.
The program’s launch faced a few delays, including software issues and driver shortages. It should not be surprising at this point that COVID-19, too, had an impact, as it has on many other areas of life.
The pandemic required changes in how Fare Free operated, including service cutbacks, Mulraney said. The program has been in the works for almost two years, he said.
Introducing it in a resort town, in September, will be a good test, he added. The program is not likely to be immediately swamped, but there are still plenty of people around. The program offers rides to doctors’ appointments and treatments, as well as for shopping, hair appointments, and anything else. For now, rides are limited to the city limits.
Any county resident over 18 can use the app, Mulraney said. Many believe Fare Free is only available to senior residents and those with physical limitations, but, he said, it has always been available to every adult. The only age restriction is that children can’t ride without an accompanying adult.
“Anybody that’s a resident of the county can ride with us,” he said.
The primary difference with the new app is its convenience. Like commercial rideshare applications, such as Lyft and Uber, users can request a ride and have the driver arrive within a few minutes. A vehicle will be stationed in Ocean City, Mulraney said.
He expects the pilot to run until Dec. 31. After that, it may be added to other communities.
“We’re really hoping for some good results from Ocean City over the next three months,” Mulraney said.
Each year, he said, the department provides 110,000 free one-way trips. Fare Free drivers are also delivering meals under a county program for seniors, which, he said, means not only a hot meal but also daily contact for some county residents.
Each bus has 14 seats, plus two spaces to secure wheelchairs. The department has 40 buses, with about 29 on the road at any given time while the service is offered.
The department is funded through multiple grants and the county budget, Mulraney said, with nine different funding sources covering the service’s cost. The Ocean City pilot program is being funded through casino revenue receipts.
Since the pilot program began, Mulraney said it saw more than 100 downloads within the first three days, but for now, those have not translated into a jump in ridership.
“We’re just getting the word out now,” he said.
To contact Bill Barlow, email bbarlow@cmcherald.com.
