Sacramento RT expands wheelchair-accessible Flex service to Saturdays, adds hours
Sacramento Regional Transit’s wheelchair-accessible ride-share service will soon be available for expanded weekday hours and Saturday service.
Starting July 1, the SacRT Flex program will operate from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, adding one hour of early morning service, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. It will mark the first time the microtransit service, which provides curb-to-curb trips for $2.50, will operate on weekends.
Flex, which launched at the end of 2024, provides on-demand rides for riders 62 and older, low-income residents, people with disabilities and children ages 13 to 17 in low-income households. Eligible customers who apply and are approved can schedule rides in wheelchair-accessible vans within nine transit zones, including Arden-Carmichael and Elk Grove.
Many Flex riders are also eligible for RT’s Go Paratransit Service, but Flex is more convenient and costs about half as much, RT spokesperson Jessica Gonzalez said.
“(Flex) also helps SacRT manage demand for paratransit, which is expensive to operate and experiencing growing ridership,” Gonzalez said in an email.
Rider feedback and ridership trends indicated a need for more early morning weekday service. Gonzalez said RT selected Saturday service because “demand for transit is consistently higher on Saturdays than Sundays.”
The expanded hours were made possible after Sacramento Regional Transit secured a $3.76 million grant through the California Public Utilities Commission’s Access for All program, which supports on-demand, wheelchair-accessible transportation. The grant is one of two primary funding sources for the Flex program. The other is the Sacramento Transportation Authority’s Neighborhood Shuttle program.
The new funding allowed the RT Board of Directors on Monday to approve the expanded hours and extend the program through June 2028.
Gonzalez said RT plans to pursue additional funding to continue the program beyond that date.
