January 24, 2023 (NEW YORK, NY) — Via, the global leader in TransitTech, is proud to announce “TARTA Flex,” a new on-demand public transit service booked through a mobile app in partnership with Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) – signifying the first microtransit launch made possible through a transit agency’s membership to NEORide, an Ohio-based consortium designed to accelerate mobility innovation in the U.S.
TARTA Flex’s microtransit model will expand access to convenient, equitable, and sustainable public transit in Lucas County and Rossford, OH, allowing anyone in the TARTA Flex service zones to order a pre-booked or on-demand shared ride through the TARTA Flex app. Special service for paratransit and senior riders will also be available through TARTA Flex.
Via’s intelligent algorithms match multiple riders headed in the same direction into a single vehicle, which provides more flexibility than traditional mass transit with fixed routes and schedules. TARTA Flex is designed to fill in “transit deserts” by providing coverage in areas where TARTA’s 30 fixed-route lines do not reach.
TARTA’s membership to NEORide made possible the expedited launch of TARTA Flex. With NEORide’s partnership agreement with Via (effective as of November 2022), NEORide members can introduce Via’s TransitTech solutions into their public transportation networks without undergoing a separate formalized request-for-proposal (RFP) process. They also benefit from NEORide’s cooperative agreements, joint purchasing power, and strategic management offerings.
As a result of the new partnership with Via, NEORide’s 20+ transit agency members (including those from Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, West Virginia, and Arkansas) gain substantial support to deploy innovative public transportation options like TARTA Flex, including on-demand microtransit and paratransit services.
“Via and NEORide share a vision that technology is the key to catalyzing equitable transportation for communities of all sizes,” said Laney Cloud, Central Regional Lead at Via. “Our partnership with NEORide will make it easier for transit agencies to discover Via’s innovative and impactful software solutions, and we hope to see membership of this revolutionary organization continue to grow.”
”NEORide is excited to bring this innovative technology powered by Via to its member agencies including both large urban and small rural transit agencies,” said Katherine Conrad, Director for NEORide. “By building on the cooperative buying power of multiple transit agencies, transit customers across the region will benefit from stronger and more innovative public transit service.”
Via helps its partners lower the cost of public transit while providing a flexible mobility option that is accessible to all riders – including those with limited mobility, those without smartphones, and unbanked populations. Via’s TransitTech software is used in more than 600 communities globally.
NEORide’s new microtransit and paratransit launch offering with Via follows several other integrations to advance the implementation of innovative transit – including EZfare’s consolidated ticketing platform, the largest multi-county, multi-state ticketing system in the country. In addition, NEORide will be utilizing the Via system in its next major project EZConnect for joint scheduling, dispatching and customer service.
NEORide’s projects are supported by substantial grant funding from the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration and Ohio Department of Transportation, which seeks to advance tech-enabled, on-demand public transportation projects.
For more information on joining NEORide, please visit https://www.neoride.org/how-to-join.
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About Via
Founded in 2012, Via pioneered the TransitTech category by using new technologies to develop public mobility systems — optimizing networks of buses, shuttles, wheelchair accessible vehicles, school buses, autonomous vehicles, and electric vehicles around the globe. Building the world’s most efficient, equitable, and sustainable transportation network for all riders — including those with limited mobility, those without smartphones, and unbanked populations — Via works with its partners to lower the costs of public transit while providing transportation options that rival the convenience of a personal car while reducing the environmental impact. At the intersection of transportation and technology, Via is a visionary market leader that combines software innovation with sophisticated service design and operational expertise to fundamentally improve the way the world moves, providing technology in 600 communities and more than 35 countries and counting.
About NEORide
NEORide is a Council of Governments comprised of 23 public transit agencies in 5 states including Ohio, Arkansas, Kentucky, Michigan and West Virginia that are committed to breaking down artificial boundaries, streamlining opportunities and making it easier for people to utilize public transportation. For more information please visit www.neoride.org
About TARTA
TARTA provides a vital link in the Toledo metro area to jobs, education, health care and other destinations. It enables everyone in our community to have access to transportation regardless of their age, race, physical ability or economic background.
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