Toll of Commuting: Via microtransit offers rideshares across New Jersey cities
Via currently serves the greater New Brunswick area, Passaic, Clifton, Newark and Camden.
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Sometimes, half of the toll of commuting is just getting to the train station or bus stop. A microtransit company with rideshares across New Jersey is aiming to make that part of the commute a little easier.
The company Via essentially operates like an Uber or Lyft, but offers a shared riding experience at a fraction of the price. Each Via trip can have up to five riders in the same car who are headed to the same area.
"It's another form of public transportation that kind of marries the convenience of a taxi with the affordability of a bus,” says Via northeast territory lead Séverine Koen.
Via currently serves the greater New Brunswick area, Passaic, Clifton, Newark and Camden. But Jersey City was their first, and still its largest, hub.
"On an average week, we're doing 12,000 rides,” Koen said. “One in five Jersey City residents has taken a Via ride."
About two-thirds of riders surveyed by Via say they don't own a car, and it's a part of the daily commute for half of their users.
"That bus is only going to come once every 30 minutes or once every hour,” Koen said. “So instead, let's have microtransit that is on-demand, so you request the ride when you need it."
The more than 40 vehicles in the Via Jersey City fleet need drivers. That's where people like Dora Rivas come in.
"I grew up in Jersey City,” said Rivas. “I know pretty much every corner street, alleyway, anyway, I pretty much know it all."
Driving here can be tricky, but she's an expert.
"It's interesting every day - it's never boring,” Rivas said. "Pavonia and Kennedy is one of our main stops. Exchange Place is another main stop, Newport Mall. We have a lot of customers who, when they're coming to the Journal Square area, they'll take a Via and leave their cars at home because you don't find parking around here."
