Enhancing Short Trips in Adams County
Description and Goals
Between Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, Adams County worked on the Enhancing Short Trips project, which explored different types of modes for trips like running to the grocery store and getting to and from a bus or rail stop. Adams County’s goal was to understand the community’s perspective and experience on traveling short distances, and how publicly available shared fleets, like shuttles, e-bikes, and e-scooters, can provide more options for community members.
Planning for a Pilot
One outcome of this project was to plan for a future pilot near and along Pecos in unincorporated Adams County that would provide more options for short trips through a publicly available shared fleet. The following modes were considered for the pilot:
- E-bike/E-scooter share program (sometimes called “micromobility”): a service that allows community members to rent an e-bike or e-scooter for short amounts of time.
- Carshare program: a service that allows community members to rent vehicles for short periods.
- Community shuttle program (sometimes called “microtransit”): flexible shuttle or van services that operate either on a fixed schedule or on-demand, allowing community members to book trips via an app or phone call.
The project team conducted data analysis, focus groups, key stakeholder interviews and a survey to understand the community’s needs and desires for additional transportation choices for short trips. Based on this information, the project team recommended that the County consider implementing a community shuttle in the future. Though this project did not provide funding for implementing a community shuttle program, it did provide information on operational, service, and cost considerations for the County.
Project Timeline
- Needs Assessment (Fall 2024 through Winter 2025 – This project phase used both data and community input to understand how people in unincorporated Adams County travel to daily destinations like school, bus and rails stations, and the grocery store.
- Community Engagement (Fall 2024 through Spring 2025) – Community engagement occured throughout the project through surveys, focus groups and an advisory group.
- Recommendations (Spring 2025) – The project summarized recommendations for how Adams County can be proactive to address short trip transportation challenges.
- Plan for Pilot Implementation – The project developed a blueprint for how to pilot a shared fleet.
For more information, please reach out to the County Project Manager: Michele Riccio, mriccio@adamscountyco.gov.