[New post] Woodland community welcomes ‘BeeLine’ transportation service with ribbon cutting ceremony
Shaun Holkko posted: "Are you without a vehicle and need to get somewhere in a hurry? There's a BeeLine for that. The Woodland community held a ribbon cutting and launch event Monday afternoon at the Woodland Chamber of Commerce for Yolo County's newest transportation servi" Daily Democrat
Are you without a vehicle and need to get somewhere in a hurry? There's a BeeLine for that.
The Woodland community held a ribbon cutting and launch event Monday afternoon at the Woodland Chamber of Commerce for Yolo County's newest transportation service: BeeLine. The witty name, derived from the noun "beeline," was thought of by Yolo Transportation District (YTD) marketing & communications specialist, Christopher Quan Le, who has been one of many people working on this project for years.
According to Quan Le, the transportation plan was initially launched in 2019 as the "YOUR Ride" microtransit program. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there wasn't much of a need for the on-demand rideshare service. Therefore, YTD was able to pivot and evolve the project.
YTD members were initially hoping to launch the revamped program in 2021, Quan Le said, but the organization needed more time to plan and execute alongside local city and county officials. Over the last year and a half, there has been a collaborative effort to relaunch the program, which has a corresponding app that allows users to book rides.
As of Monday, the BeeLine is available to residents in Woodland, Winters and Knights Landing with plans to expand in the near future. Woodland residents can catch a ride to Davis and even Vacaville, according to Quan Le.
"What's great about it now is we have this brand new app feature component to it that allows riders to get to and from or book their rides and set where they need to go," Quan Le explained. "They get to beeline to wherever they need to be."
The BeeLine has been delayed about a month due to supply chain issues caused by the pandemic, according to Quan Le, such as bike racks and other needed parts for the vehicles. Yolo County residents who use other services such as Yolobus, fear not, it is here to stay alongside BeeLine.
"This ride is not going to replace our current fixed routes," Quan Le said. "We are working on improving our fixed route services. Those are the regular bus schedules that go in a loop from certain areas. This is not to replace that but it offers people another option in order to get to where they need to be.
"This service is particularly great for local use. If people want to go out, run errands, even for students to catch a ride to school, it is a great way to do that. If you don't have time and just want to catch a ride that is safe and pretty quick, it gets you where you need to be."
The new transportation program is not identical to other rideshare services like Uber or Lyft, however, as the drivers will not be able to pick you up right outside the door of your home.
"BeeLine is a point-to-point service, so that means we have designated points where people are able to meet the driver to get picked up and dropped off at," Quan Le emphasized. "It's not a door-to-door service like other rideshare services. However, the points that we do have set currently, we have made sure that it is convenient for everyone involved. Most people won't need to walk more than a block, a block and a half, in order to get to these points."
Yolo County Supervisors, Lucas Frerichs of District 2 (right) and Angel Barajas of District 5, speak at the "BeeLine" transportation service's launch on Monday, Sept. 18 at the Woodland Chamber of Commerce. (Shaun Holkko/Daily Democrat)
The Yolo Transportation District's "BeeLine" transportation service will initially be available to residents in Woodland, Winters and Knights Landing with plans to expand in the near future. (Shaun Holkko/Daily Democrat)
Yolo Transportation District executive director Autumn Bernstein speaks at the "BeeLine" launch on Monday, Sept. 18 at the Woodland Chamber of Commerce. (Shaun Holkko/Daily Democrat)
A ribbon cutting and launch event was held for the "BeeLine" transportation service on Monday, Sept. 18 at the Woodland Chamber of Commerce. (Shaun Holkko/Daily Democrat)
Yolo Transportation District chair Tom Stallard speaks at the "BeeLine" launch on Monday, Sept. 18 at the Woodland Chamber of Commerce. (Shaun Holkko/Daily Democrat)
Dignitaries present for Monday's ribbon cutting ceremony included YTD executive director Autumn Bernstein, YTD chair Tom Staller, Yolo County Supervisors, Lucas Frerichs (District 2) & Angel Barajas (District 5), former West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon and Woodland Chamber of Commerce president Kayla Rodriguez.
During the ceremony, Frerichs acknowledged the recent passing of District 3 Supervisor Gary Sandy and honored him with a moment of silence.
The BeeLine hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. According to the YTD, four vehicles will be available during peak times with a $3 standard fare — $1.50 for youth and seniors — and an average wait time of 10 to 15 minutes.
"Women report by a margin of 75% that they feel safer using this service than they did (with) whatever transportation option they were using before," said Cabaldon, who is also a former YTD president. "More than half of the riders on our service have said that they've used it to patronize a local business that they had not visited before.
"This service is a great opportunity for all of us in Yolo County and Woodland to make a beeline to our nearest local non-profit (or) business and connect with one another in any even more profound way."
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