Via brings microtransit service in Seattle

Via has deployed a microtransit service comprising of Toyota Sienna vans to connect residents living in Seattle with more public transport. Via says it is working with King County Metro, Sound Transit and the city to offer a first- and last-mile service in south-east Seattle and Tukwila, a suburb in King County, at no additional charge. Each van can carry up to seven passengers to five Sound Transit Link light rail stations: Mount Baker, Columbia City, Othello, Rainier Beach and Tukwila International Boul
April 29, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Via has deployed a microtransit service comprising of 1686 Toyota Sienna vans to connect residents living in Seattle with more public transport.

Via says it is working with King County Metro, Sound Transit and the city to offer a first- and last-mile service in south-east Seattle and Tukwila, a suburb in King County, at no additional charge.

Each van can carry up to seven passengers to five Sound Transit Link light rail stations: Mount Baker, Columbia City, Othello, Rainier Beach and Tukwila International Boulevard. Riders will also be able to hop on board certain Metro bus routes that connect to the Link light rail stations.

The Via to Transit service makes it easier for commuters who do not own a car or prefer not to drive and park or live within walking distance to take transit, the company adds.

The one-year project is funded by $2.7 million from the Seattle Transportation Benefit District. Sound Transit also successfully applied for a grant from the 2023 Federal Transit Administration to test the effectiveness of providing on-demand ride-share connections to transit stations.

Daniel Ramot, co-founder and CEO of Via says the company’s passenger matching and vehicle routing algorithm integrates into the existing public transit infrastructure to connect residents to transit hubs in their communities.

Commuters can download the Via app or call to book a ride.

Urban Traffic Control

Related Content

  • Commuting habits come under scrutiny
    March 28, 2017
    Cities have a moral responsibility to encourage the smart use of transportation and Andrew Bardin Williams hears a few suggestions. Given the choice of getting a root canal, doing household chores, filing taxes, eating anchovies or commuting to work, nearly two-thirds of Americans said that they wouldn’t mind commuting into work—at least according to a poll conducted by Xerox (now Conduent) over its social media channels at the end of 2016.
    Read More
  • New Haven shows small can be beautiful
    October 22, 2014
    Connecticut’s new administration is using smart policy and ITS solutions to bridge social divides. Andrew Bardin Williams investigates. With only 130,000 residents, New Haven can hardly be called a metropolis. Measuring less than 502km (18 square miles), the city is huddled against the coast, squeezed between two mountains (appropriately called East Rock and West Rock) that, at 111m and 213m (366ft and 700ft) respectively, can hardly be called mountains. The airport is small and has limited service, and th
    Read More
  • Public transit is weapon in US congestion war
    December 3, 2018
    Public transit is a huge component of US transportation, insists Mary Scott Nabers, CEO of Strategic Partnerships – and infrastructure upgrades have the potential to create thousands of jobs When it comes to public transportation, the US lags far behind other countries. Governments in Europe, Asia and Canada invest heavily in public transportation because it is viewed as an essential public good. The US government, however, views public transit a little differently and funding has been inadequate for d
    Read More
  • Transportation hub the centre of sustainable urban development
    November 21, 2012
    A marriage of transit, technology and culture is taking shape in Minneapolis, with ITS systems vital to hopes for a sustainable development centred on a hub of public transportation. Construction started in July this year on ‘The Interchange’ – a station in the Midwest US city of Minneapolis claimed as the most spectacular expression yet of the fast-spreading North American concept of transit-oriented development (TOD). Due for completion in 2014, the Interchange is designed as a multi-modal public transpor
    Read More

Highlighted Content