Skip to main content

Via offers on-demand shared transit for Massachusetts seniors

Via has launched an on-demand shared transit system for people over the age of 60 in the City of Newton, Massachusetts. Via says the service replaces a taxi voucher system which required passengers to make reservations at least 72 hours in advance. The company will also offer trips to a range of medical facilities outside the city’s boundaries. Using the Via app, riders can hail a vehicle from their smartphone. The company’s algorithms allow riders to share the vehicle and directs users to a nearby pick-
June 27, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Via has launched an on-demand shared transit system for people over the age of 60 in the City of Newton, Massachusetts.

Via says the service replaces a taxi voucher system which required passengers to make reservations at least 72 hours in advance. The company will also offer trips to a range of medical facilities outside the city’s boundaries.

Using the Via app, riders can hail a vehicle from their smartphone. The company’s algorithms allow riders to share the vehicle and directs users to a nearby pick-up and drop-off location.

Passengers can book rides Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm - and weekends from 9am to noon - with costs ranging from $0.50 to $5.00. In partnership with 6454 Avis, the fleet will comprise a range of 1685 Mercedes Metris vans which come with six seats as well as wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

Via is not the only company offering trips to medical appointments in the US. Earlier this month, 8336 Uber entered into an %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external agreement false https://www.itsinternational.com/categories/utc/news/pack-health-and-uber-offer-free-transport-for-patients-in-alabama/ false false%>with Pack Health to offer a transportation service for patients with chronic conditions in Alabama.

UTC

Related Content

  • July 4, 2019
    CurbFlow looks at PUDO in Washington, DC
    The District Department of Transportation (DDoT) in Washington, DC is working with CurbFlow to carry out the next phase of its kerbside pick-up and drop-off (PUDO) programme. DDoT says the programme allocates kerbside space for PUDO activities, allowing passenger and commercial loading to occur at the kerb and out of travel lanes. Jeff Marootian, DDoT director, says: “By exploring new kerbside management options through this partnership with CurbFlow, DDoT is able to keep traffic flowing, maximise effic
  • January 14, 2019
    Edeva to deliver two ActiBumps to Curtain University in Western Australia
    Edeva is to deploy two active speed bumps at Curtain University in Perth, Western Australia, following an initial deployment in which speeding was reduced from 70% to 25%. Edeva’s Actibump detects the speed of oncoming vehicles and lowers its hatch by 60mm in the road surface if a driver is speeding – which sends a physical bump to the driver. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxpvwKiOpag Both Actibumps will be installed on Townsing Drive while a third is to replace a ‘dumb bump’, a moulded black plas
  • May 31, 2013
    Connected cones make for safer sites
    David Crawford welcomes new lives for old road safety products. Traffic cones and barrels have traditionally been on the bottom shelf of the road construction and maintenance industry, typically forming visible soft safety barriers for temporary works at a lower cost than concrete alternatives. On both sides of the Atlantic, however, they are fast gaining new roles as instrumented components in advanced construction safety arrays. The EC-sponsored €1 million (US$1.31 million) Safelane collaborative innovati
  • February 13, 2019
    MaaS Market London conference looks at first/last mile
    Next month’s MaaS Market conference in London will host a session dedicated to first/last mile travel within multimodal trips delivered through Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platforms. The provision of first/last mile connections is crucial if MaaS is to provide travellers with a convenient alternative to using private cars for every journey. In the session, Richard Corbett from micro scooter provider Bird, and Katy Medlock of peer-to-peer car share company Drivy, will be joined by Amsterdam-based researc