The City of Conway has announced that Rock Region METRO will be launching the METRO Connect Conway public microtransit service zone in October of this year. There will be two public information meetings about this addition to the area, held on Sept. 13, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and on Sept. 14, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Conway City Hall, located at 1111 Main St.
According to Rock Region METRO, this service, METRO Connect Conway, will offer on-demand, point-to-point shared rides within the city. METRO Connect Conway, serving as a microtransit service, will also offer a ride-booking interface, vehicle information, reasonable wait and travel times and affordable booking fees.
“Ever since Conway became eligible for its own federal public transit funding, we’ve been working on what type of service would best meet the needs of our residents and guests. We are excited to share more with the community about our pending microtransit service – where it will go and how easy it is to use. Public transit service will only enhance the city’s most recent initiatives as we continue to progressively plan and develop an appealing place to live, work and play,” Conway Mayor Bart Castleberry said.
Also according to the news release, Conway surpassed 50,000 residents in the last several years, becoming its own urbanized area, as determined by the U.S. Census. Due to this new classification, Conway is now eligible for federal public transit funding, and in 2018, the Conway City Council approved the METRO resolution. The METRO resolution allowed for Conway to become a direct recipient of its Federal Transit Administration Urbanized Area Formula Program funds, also known as 5307 funds.
METRO, through this agreement, will operate public transit within the city using funds that remain with METRO for use and earmarked for Conway transit services. The news release also reports this partnership allows for the state’s largest public transit agency to launch a new mobility-oriented public service for guests and residents of Conway.
For more information about Rock Region METRO, click here.
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