The City of Arlington has been named a “Leader in Equitable Regional Transportation” in the 2021 Via Impact Awards, which recognize cities and transit agencies who have delivered exceptional service to their communities by leveraging Via’s TransitTech. The City of Arlington is one of two transit agencies being recognized with the award this year out of Via’s 500+ global partners.
In this first iteration of the awards, Via is specifically celebrating the impact tech-enabled services have had on equity, from providing high-quality service to riders with disabilities to expanding access to jobs, education, healthcare, and other opportunities. Via launched in 2017 to provide public, affordable shared rides to residents and visitors. Today, the service covers the entire Arlington population of nearly 400,000 residents, a majority of whom identify as people of color, and spans nearly 100 square miles.
New Arlington On-Demand rider survey results and demographic data illustrates how the service is expanding access to affordable, equitable transportation in the region:
The majority of riders use Arlington On-Demand to access jobs, healthcare, education, and more – with high-quality service regardless of where they request a trip.
Nearly 90% of riders make less than the City’s median household income of ~$50k, and many riders report using the service as an alternative to private car ownership.
With Arlington On-Demand in place, residents can now affordably access almost 50% more of the city’s jobs, hospitals, and schools within 30 minutes than they could prior to the launch of the service.
“Thousands of Arlington residents each week are choosing Arlington’s Via On-Demand service, whether out of convenience or out of necessity, for reliable transportation around town or to reach one of our regional commuter rail stations,” says Alicia Winkelblech, Senior Strategic Initiatives Officer for the City of Arlington. “This on-demand public transportation service is improving the quality of life for so many in our community, including those who require mobility assistance and students without their own vehicles. We are honored to be recognized for our partnership with Via’s TransitTech over the past four years to get our residents where they want to be, when they need to be, in an affordable way.”
“Without question, Arlington is a global leader for efficient, accessible, tech-enabled public transportation — which is why we’re so excited to recognize them as a Leader in Equitable Regional Transportation for our first-ever Impact Awards,” says Dillon Twombly, Chief Revenue Officer at Via. “The Arlington community should be proud to be part of a city dedicated to innovative, equitable mobility.”
What frequent Riders say about the service:
– “I don’t have a car. Via is an affordable way to get to doctor appointments and other places around town. Plus, my granddaughter uses Via every day to get home from school.”
– “It’s awesome to know I don’t need a car right now and still have [transportation] at a low cost.”
– “It has been so convenient and inexpensive moving from point A to point B in Arlington.”
