'Sam on-Demand' Set to Hit the Streets December 19th

Later this month, residents of Sioux Falls will begin to become very familiar with the phrase "Sam On-Demand."

No, Sam, the butcher, will not be at your beck and call to help you with all your meat and poultry needs. However, the Sioux Area Metro bus system will begin to help people who rely on the public transportation system get to their destinations much more efficiently very soon.

Dakota News Now reports for years, the city buses here in Sioux Falls have been operating on a fixed bus route system. Once Sam On-Demand is up and running, riders will be afforded a great deal more flexibility.

City of Sioux Falls Senior Planner Sam Trebilcock told Dakota News Now, “With this system you don’t have to transfer, you say I want to go from this bus stop at Lincoln High School to this bus stop at the Empire Mall.”

The city has attempted to make the Sam On-Demand program as user-friendly as possible for people. Once the program is up and running, bus riders will be able to schedule rides three different ways using On Demand Transit. Transportation can be scheduled via the Rider App, on samondemand.org, or by calling Sioux Area Metro directly.

According to Trebilcock, they plan to employ a hybrid like system, “Buses will still be going from those bus stop signs to another bus stop sign, so you have to walk some, but you don’t have those transfers, and you can schedule the ride when you want it.”

Dakota News Now says Sam On-Demand will initially start as a pilot program and operate only on Saturday's in the beginning.

The On Demand Transit Rider App has already gone live. The Sam On-Demand program officially hits the streets of the Sioux Empire on Saturday (December 19).

Source: Dakota News Now