The low density and low demand conditions of rural areas make fixed route transit unsuitable to serve the transit needs of rural residents. Microtransit, which is much more flexible and responsive to demand, is a possible alternative to fixed route service in these rural settings. However, the factors impacting rural microtransit use, the impacts of rural microtransit on rider travel behaviour, and the financial performance of rural microtransit in differing contexts are still not fully understood. This study aims to improve our understanding through a case study evaluation of the Yolobus BeeLine service based in Yolo County, California. By conducting ride-along interviews and surveys with riders of the BeeLine, we find that frequency of use for taxis/ride-hail and buses before the microtransit implementation, the presence of physical or similar limitations—such as requiring a wheelchair or other mobility aids when traveling—and overall satisfaction with the service have a positive impact on rural microtransit usage. Factors that were found to have a potential negative impact on rural microtransit use frequency included frequency of driving alone, race, and age. Respondents who identified as White and respondents who were older were less likely to use the BeeLine often. Respondents’ frequency of use for automobile adjacent modes, such as driving alone, carpooling/vanpooling, getting dropped off by a friend or family, and taxi/ride-hailing services, were generally reduced due to the introduction of rural microtransit. This decrease was especially apparent for taxi/ride-hailing services due to the lower fares for rural microtransit and indicates a potential for rural microtransit to displace greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from these modes. The comparison of financial metrics between the different BeeLine zones demonstrates how low population and origin-destination density significantly increases the cost of the service. Planners of rural microtransit systems can use these results to more readily anticipate demand for their service. Despite the higher costs of microtransit compared to fixed route services, the non-monetary benefits, such as access to opportunities, of the vastly improved service level should be considered when planning rural microtransit systems.

This dataset includes responses from a survey given to riders of the BeeLine microtransit service provided by Yolo Transportation District in Yolo County, California. This survey was hosted on Qualtrics and was active during October-November 2024. The survey included questions about rider travel behaviour before and after the implementation of the BeeLine microtransit service, satisfaction with the service, and sociodemographic characteristics.