Arlington's Rideshare Service Expanding Citywide Next Week
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Arlington's on-demand public transit service, Via Rideshare, will soon reach all neighborhoods, shopping centers, offices, restaurants, medical facilities and other key destinations, the city announced Thursday, Jan. 14.
Over the past three years the Via Rideshare service has been expanding across the city.
The service area, which currently covers about 41% of Arlington, will expand citywide starting Tuesday, Jan. 19.
Via will continue to pick up and drop off riders at the CentrePort TRE Station.
"Every city in America is looking at ways to improve public transportation and mayors across the country continue to recognize Arlington's rideshare program with Via as the gold standard for transportation solutions," Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams said. "We are so excited about the citywide expansion and the difference that Via continues to make in our community. On-demand rideshare also improves overall equity here in Arlington, making sure all of our residents have cost-effective access to transportation so they can make it to work, appointments or shopping destinations."
Riders can book a shared ride six days a week using a smartphone application or a dial-in phone number, 817-784-7382.
The service operates between 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays.
One of the many benefits of the partnership with Via is the ability for the City to scale service up or down nimbly based on data about ridership demands, City Manager Trey Yelverton said.
He said Arlington was able to save roughly $1 million in expected costs in 2020 by scaling back the service to align with the reduced ridership demands during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We are able to track point-to-point pick-ups and drop-offs, fare revenue and whether they were shared rides. This data allows us to refine our service almost on a daily basis as we learn how our service is being consumed by the public," Yelverton said. "The data tells us if we have too much or too little capacity, and we can scale our operation to better optimize service."
"Arlington is an undisputed global leader in providing smart, accessible transit for the community, and the citywide expansion of the service is an opportunity to further improve economic and social mobility for residents," said Daniel Ramot, Via CEO and co-founder. "We are proud to be a part of this milestone and to continue to demonstrate how flexible, technology-enabled public transit solutions can be transformational for cities and residents alike."
With the citywide expansion, a new fare structure will go into effect starting Feb. 15.
The new fares will be based on trip distance, with a minimum of $3 per trip for rides up to 1.5 miles in length and a maximum of $5 per ride for trips over 6 miles in length. The detailed pricing schedule is available on the City's Via website at www.arlingtontx.gov/via. The exact re will be quoted to the rider before booking a trip. Trips to and from the CentrePort TRE Station will remain at the $3 flat fare rate, no matter the distance from the point of origin. The weekly ViaPass, which allows for up to four trips per day, Monday through Saturday, will increase from $15 to $25 per pass.
New Fare Rates
0-1.5 miles: $3
1.5-3 miles: $3.50
3-4.5 miles: $4
4.5-6 miles: $4.50
Over 6 miles: $5
For more information, click here.
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