Some cities and towns around the U.S. have begun to embrace the model, including the small city of Wilson, North Carolina, population 49,000. The town, about 55 miles east of Raleigh, took the dramatic step of replacing its bus system with on demand minivans about two years ago, and says it’s been a game changer for residents.

Before, the city had five fixed bus routes that ran once an hour…

Lentz said the city spent years exploring the idea of replacing its fixed bus routes with on-demand rides, and finally took the leap in September 2020 in partnership with a company Via, which provided software, vehicles and drivers in exchange for city funding…

These days, the service runs about 3,700 trips a week, Lentz said, or more than two and a half times the 1,400 rides the old bus system ran in a typical, pre-pandemic week.