METRO Connect

Select a zone... Levy-Amboy Shorter College-Dixie McAlmont Temporary Connect Hensley – Limited Zone East Little Rock Riverdale John Barrow Road

Map Hours Points of Interest Connecting Routes

Affordable, Accessible Transit Service, Your Way!

METRO Connect is a newer microtransit service at Rock Region METRO.

See How to Use METRO Connect Microtransit Below.

Why Microtransit?

For certain service areas, microtransit does a better job of meeting transit demand than a full-size bus operating on a fixed route. Microtransit allows Rock Region METRO to provide on-demand transit rides using smaller vehicles within a set zone, during regular operating hours, via its METRO Connect on-demand service.

Benefits to Riders

METRO Connect offers:

• FASTER SERVICE: The former Route 9 West Central/John Barrow Road operated on a 65-minute frequency, and the former Route 21 Riverdale operated on a 40-minute frequency. The METRO Connect on-demand service averages a total wait and travel time of 20 minutes or less within the current John Barrow Road Zone/points of interest. (Riders, please note: All microtransit zones are different in geographic size and makeup, peak and off-peak travel demands, and the presence or absence of popular destinations, and, therefore, each zone will have its own average total wait-and-travel time, which is not a guarantee but simply an average.)
• SAME PRICE: A passenger trip on a METRO Connect vehicle costs the same fare rate as a trip on a METRO bus: For an Adult One-Way Ride Cash Fare, it’s $1.35 per trip.
• NEW PLACES: The METRO Connect John Barrow Road zone contains spots that have not previously been served by non-paratransit public transit service. Those spots include CARTI Cancer Center in Little Rock and Camp Aldersgate and other locations along Aldersgate Road. The METRO Connect Riverdale Zone includes front-door service to the downtown Little Rock train station (Amtrak), the Coolwood Neighborhood, Holcombe Heights, Apartments, Rivercliff Apartments, Tree Top Condominiums, The Cliffs Condominiums, the Arkansas Department of Heritage and Dillard’s Corporate Office.

How to Use METRO Connect Microtransit

METRO Connect offers a smartphone app, the Transloc Microtransit App, (and dial-in service) to schedule ride-hailing trips occurring within a set service area, during regular METRO Connect zone operating hours (hours vary per zone). Each zone has specific “points of interest” that allow riders to travel to a specific transfer point outside of the zone to access additional METRO transit service, such as fixed routes. Click on the dropdown menu above for zone maps, hours of operations, specific zone “points of interest,” and connecting fixed routes. Standard METRO fares apply.

Did you know? You can preschedule your trips within the app, which is an excellent way to plan for getting to and from work or school every day, for example. Pad your time a bit (this is a shared ride operated in mixed traffic with other motorists, which means your vehicle may not use the most direct path from Point A to Point B to get to your destination), set the trips on the recurring schedule needed, and just be sure to cancel any trips in advance when they are not needed. Easy!

Pro Tip: Should you ever have a question about the service or a particular trip and need to discuss it with the METRO team, please be sure to note which name and phone number on which the trip was actually logged to get more informed customer service.

Download the Transloc Microtransit App:

Transloc Microtransit App Logo

Transloc Microtransit App Step-by-Step Directions:

1. Download the Transloc Microtransit App. (This app requires Android 5.0, released in 2014, and iOS 10.0 or later.)
2. Allow the app to access your smartphone’s locations services.
3. Create an account. Please Note: Disregard the university account login prompt and instead create a Transloc account.
4. Click Ridesharing Services and select Connect John Barrow Road Zone Weekday, Connect John Barrow Road Zone Saturday, Connect Riverdale Zone Weekday or Connect Riverdale Zone Saturday.
5. Tap the map.
6. Confirm your pickup location and select your drop-off location. Both locations must be within the zone (either the John Barrow Road Zone or the Riverdale Zone; you CANNOT connect directly from one zone to the other, but you can connect to nearby fixed bus routes from either zone).
7. To schedule your ride in advance, change your pickup time by tapping ASAP and selecting a new date and time. Rides may be scheduled up to one week in advance.
8. Select the number of passengers with you and whether you need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.
9. Tap Request Ride when ready.

Stay informed on your ride status with push notifications.

Should you need to cancel a ride, click on the three dots and select Cancel Ride Request. Riders: There is a 5-minute limit waiting on passengers for pickup. After five minutes of waiting, the ride will be cancelled.

Don’t have a smartphone?

Call METRO Dispatch at 501-476-3761 to schedule your pickup. You will be asked for your first and last name and phone number to set up a METRO Connect Transloc account, or, if you have an existing METRO Connect Transloc account, you will be asked for the email address associated with it.

Fares

Standard METRO fares apply. Cash, passes and Token Transit app passes are accepted. Coming Soon: Pay your fare within the Transloc Microtransit app for faster boarding! Please note: Collected fares are not refundable.

Booking for a loved one, patient, student or someone else?

Visit ondemand.transloc.com. For step-by-step instructions, click here.

“Walk-Ups” Practice

Beginning Monday, June 6, 2022, METRO will no longer allow “walk-up” ride bookings at the travel center (“walk-up” rides are when a rider books a ride directly with the vehicle driver). Instead, riders who have not pre-booked a METRO Connect ride by either using the free Transloc Microtransit App or by calling the METRO Connect ride-booking number will be asked to book their rides through the Customer Service team at the River Cities Travel Center Sales Office. The reason for this practice is to ensure riders who have pre-booked their Connect trips from the travel center do not experience a delay for their prescheduled trips due to a walk-up booking. METRO encourages Connect riders to always pre-book trips, either by booking within the free Transloc Microtransit App or, for those riders who do not have smartphones that support the app, by calling the METRO Connect ride-booking number. If you are a rider who has a smartphone but does not know how to use the Transloc Microtransit App, please visit the River Cities Travel Center Sales Office and a customer service representative will be happy to assist you in downloading and learning how to use the app. One major advantage to using the app is that riders can allow the app to send push notifications and texts, which tell riders how many minutes away their rides are from the pickup point. Pretty handy, and no waiting on the phone for a ride-booking agent!

Is Your Printed Schedule Current?

Printed schedules are only useful if they reflect the current routes and schedules. Are you living in the past? Use the list below to determine whether your map or brochure needs replacing!

Download the Transloc app but seeing a blank, black page?

If you are accessing the app farther than 30 miles from a zone parameter, a zone will not appear within the app and a “Booking unavailable” message will appear.