Salem Skipper Ride-Sharing Service Surpasses 100K Rides In 2 Years

SALEM, MA — Two years ago, Salem launched a unique municipal ride-sharing program called the Salem Skipper aimed at providing low-cost, ride-sharing for residents to ease parking concerns and make the city more of a "car-light" community.

Since then, the Salem Skipper has now provided more than 100,000 rides to at least 5,000 unique users, according to the Salem Traffic and Parking Department.

The city released figures this week that said the Salem Skipper had made 112,527 total trips, serving 5,052 unique riders, including 2,773 unique riders in 2022.

At its peak, the Salem Skipper made 2,090 trips in a week and 399 in a day.

"Yes, we can have innovative, low-cost, on-demand public ride-share services in our communities," Salem Mayor and Lt. Gov.-Elect Kim Driscoll said. "In all, the service has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by (more than) 61 tons."

The city said 52 percent of the trips included more than one rider, with an average of 3.7 riders per trip — a number affected by reduced capacity during COVID-19 restrictions.

The city estimates that the ride-sharing has saved 137,853 individual vehicle trips in the city, adding up to 122,781 in carbon dioxide emissions.

The Skipper works like a minibus where riders can "hail" the Skipper through a phone app or through a phone call. Advanced algorithms allow for multiple riders to share the same vehicle by directing passengers to nearby "virtual" bus stops within a short walking distance.

The Salem Skipper app is available on iPhone and Android devices, and the service can be reached at 844-983-1842. Riders enter a desired pickup and drop-off address to book a ride and receive vehicle information and an estimated pickup time and location.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)