Case Study

Newton in Motion

Newton, Massachusetts, USA

Geography

Suburban

Use Case

NEMT, General transportation, Microtransit, Electric mobility

Fleet

9 vehicles

100k+

rides between June 2019 and January 2023

~600

weekly active riders as of January 2023

Overview

After many reported missed trips and driver supply issues with a legacy dial-a-ride service provider, which required seniors to book trips 72 hours in advance, the City of Newton sought an enhanced mobility option for its 60+ population. In June 2019, they partnered with Via to design, launch, and operate an on-demand transit service called Newton-In-Motion, also known as NewMo. The service catered only to the City’s seniors originally, but in October 2021, Newton expanded the successful service model to the general population.

Solution

Via’s solution provides day-to-day operations, data analysis, driver training, and customer support to continuously optimize the service. Riders can book and track their on-demand and pre-scheduled rides in the mobile app or by calling a dedicated phone line, for $2 per trip.

In three years, NewMo has completed 100k+ rides, reaching an average of ~6,000 rides per month — tripling monthly ridership since the citywide expansion in October 2021. Survey data shows that these trips help riders fulfill crucial needs and unlock greater access to their community: 32% of non-seniors use the service to commute, while 23% are using it to connect to other forms of public transit.

As for environmental impact, 30-40% of NewMo trips are shared, reducing the need for private vehicles. The fleet has grown from 4 to 9 vehicles. And the service now includes two EVs, which were added in October 2022, beginning the process of becoming a fully electric service in line with Newton’s efforts to lower the City’s carbon footprint.

“

This flexible, friendly, and affordable service makes it possible for people to get to appointments, to work, to public transit stations, and to school without the expense or environmental impacts of using a personal vehicle."

‍

Ruthanne Fuller

—

Mayor, Newton

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