When Ben Aghapour's car was ready to be picked up from the repair shop earlier this week, he didn't want to bother his friends by asking them for a ride all the way to Dallas from the University of Texas at Arlington. Instead, Aghapour picked up his phone and within five minutes he was in one of Via's comfortable rideshare vans on his way to the TRE CentrePort/DFW Airport Station for only $3.
"It's very affordable," said Aghapour, who graduated from UTA this month with a master's degree is landscape architecture. "I'd rather use Via than Lyft and Uber."
Aghapour is one of more than 4,000 people who have ridden with Via since the City of Arlington's rideshare pilot program rolled out last December. Arlington, partnered with Via, is one of the first cities in the nation to offer on-demand ridesharing as an innovative public transportation solution. The service is designed to provide affordable transportation to key areas of Arlington, allowing riders to access entertainment, shopping and dining options, work or school, and even medical appointments. Via vans also travel to TRE CentrePort station, where customers like Aghapour can catch a train to Dallas or Fort Worth.
Roughly 24,000 trips have been booked on Via vans in the first six months of service, according to the latest data. Based on pick up and drop off locations, an estimated 64 percent of trips taken so far were to or from the University of Texas at Arlington or the immediate area around the rapidly growing college.
Additionally, more than 70 percent of those who ride Via, including Aghapour, are repeat customers. The service also has a 97 percent satisfaction rating, with customers saying they appreciate the on-demand system's affordability and flexibility.
Ten Via vans are operating Monday through Saturday within a service area that currently includes Downtown, the Entertainment District, the area around Arlington Memorial Hospital and the TRE CentrePort/DFW Airport Station. Customers can book a seat in a six-passenger Mercedes-Benz van through the Via app, and Via's sophisticated technology will match them with others going their way.
Via is available Monday through Saturday, with service hours running from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. In addition to the app, customers may call Via at 817-784-7382 to book a ride. Rides are $3 per person, per trip, or customers can purchase a ViaPass for a promotional rate of $10 per week.
Click here to see the Via service area map.
On-demand rideshare was one of several recommendations presented by the citizen-led Transportation Advisory Council to the Arlington City Council late last year. Other recommended transportation modes focused on newer transportation technologies such as autonomous shuttles and people mover systems. In August 2017, the City debuted its low-speed autonomous shuttle pilot project, making Arlington the first in the nation to offer ongoing, autonomous vehicle service to the general public.
Arlington's rideshare service area continues to grow based on demand. Presently, the service area extends north of Interstate 30 to Lamar Boulevard and just south to Arkansas Lane in east Arlington. By this summer, this area will include a large portion of the City between Interstate 30 and Interstate 20, which will allow customers to reach major retail destinations such as the Parks Mall and Arlington Highlands.
The City of Arlington is contributing approximately one third of the project cost, in the amount of $322,500, with the remainder coming from the Federal Transit Administration. The contract period is for one-year, with four one-year renewal options. Data collected through the rideshare service will help shape the Arlington City Council's future transportation planning decisions.
Click here to learn more about the Via Rideshare Service in Arlington.
Enhance Regional Mobility, Put Technology to Work, Via, Data in Action
Government, News, Transportation