RTS On Demand Services To End Next Year, Plus New Fixed Routes

RTS On Demand Service will end completely come 2027 due to financial challenges, according to the transit authority system. “Expenses are rising much faster than our revenues,” said RTS CEO Miguel Velázquez. The On Demand service offered riders a rideshare service through public transit. According to Velázquez, eliminating the service is an effort to address their 30-million-dollar structural budget deficit.

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“This is less than 3% of our overall ridership, and so we decided this is where we can have the least amount of impact,” he said. “That’s not to say that is less impactful to the person than any other service that we might have canceled.” The announcement from RTS comes two months after they scaled back evening and weekend on demand services, moving now to eliminate it completely by January and April 2027. “It’s a very inefficient service, unfortunately.” said Velázquez. “It’s very high cost per customer. It doesn’t provide the level of quality that we want to provide to the customer because it’s not as reliable as a fixed route.” 

In a press release, the transit authority reported that the service cost 6.5 times more per customer than regular bus route. The system currently serves seven on-demand zones Brockport, Irondequoit, Pittsford, Webster, Greece, Henrietta, and Lexington Avenue. Velázquez said they will be expanding routes in Greece, Henrietta and Lexington Avenue due to high demand in those areas, but service to others will disappear. They said On Demand service in the Brockport, Irondequoit, Pittsford, and Webster zones will end on Friday, January 22, 2027. On demand service in the Greece, Henrietta, and Lexington Avenue zones will end on Friday, April 2, 2027.

Source: Rochester First