Pilot Plots ​“Uber For Buses”

(Updated) Imagine a city-run Uber equivalent that provides on-demand electric van rides for the same amount it costs to ride the bus. 

But only within certain neighborhoods of New Haven. And only if the seven-seat vans are full of passengers looking for a more climate-friendly alternative to single-occupant cars.

City Transportation, Traffic & Parking (TT&P) Executive Director Sandeep Aysola described that ​“micro-transit” vision as he, Park New Haven Executive Director Doug Hausladen, and city climate czar Steve Winter pitched local legislators on a grant application the Elicker administration recently summitted to the state Department of Transportation (DOT).

They successfully made that pitch during the latest City Services & Environmental Policy (CSEP) committee meeting, which was held Thursday night in the Aldermanic Chamber on the second floor of City Hall.

Aysola, Hausladen, and Winter came before the committee alders to urge them to support a resolution authorizing the mayor to apply for and accept a state DOT grant ​“to operate on-demand micro-transit services as a pilot program in partnership with the New Haven Parking Authority, Greater New Haven Transit District, and Via Transportation Inc.,” to quote from the proposal’s title itself.

What does that mean?

Aysola told the committee alders that the city has applied to the state for $3.1 million to run a two-year ​“micro-transit” pilot program from November 2023 to October 2025. The pilot service would run seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

“In short, it’s Uber for buses,” Aysola said. With the main difference being that, unlike with the fluctuating costs imposed by ride-share services during the busiest hours of transportation work, prices for this program would remain flat at $1.75 per ride (with a likely $10 one-way charge to Tweed New Haven Airport.)

The city hasn’t yet heard back from the state about whether or not it’ll get the grant. And even if the application is successful, New Haven might not receive all $3.1 million it has asked for.

Nevertheless, Aysola told the alders on Thursday, this is an exciting opportunity to try something new and think outside the bounds of current public transit options in the city. All with the goals, he said, of adding another transit option for commuters or riders who might otherwise use a single-driver car; making public transit more convenient and expansive; providing ​“first-mile, last-mile connections” for existing transit services like the train stations and airport and bus hub on the Green; and ​“improving equity by expanding sustainable transportation options for disadvantaged populations, addressing safety concerns, [and] addressing service needs of people with few mobility options.”

Click here to read the full slideshow presentation Aysola, Hausladen, and Winter talked through during Thursday’s CSEP meeting.

If the funding comes through, Aysola said, here’s how the program will work:

Six different seven-seater electric-powered vans will provide on-demand pickup and drop off service in certain city-designated zones across New Haven. Each ride would cost $1.75, except for a trip to the airport, which would cost $10. Similar to how rideshare services like Uber and Lyft operate today, interested riders would download an app and request a ride through that app.

This on-demand van service wouldn’t be available just anywhere, however. It would only operate within a roughly 5.6 square-mile zone that stretches from City Point and Long Wharf on the southeast to West Rock on the northwest. Aysola said the city has defined this zone for the potential pilot based on its high number of both jobs and residents and relatively low levels of income.

Interested riders could also hail or be dropped off by these on-demand vans at more than a dozen other ​“points of interest” across the city, including Union Station, Tweed, the Green, and parking authority-owned public parking lots.

The operator of the fleet of vans would be a tech company called Via, which already runs a similar service in Jersey City.

“New Haven has a lot of challenges from a mobility side,” Aysola said. A third of New Haven’s population does not own a car. Sixty percent of residents, meanwhile, drive to work. This on-demand van service is designed to both provide an alternative transit option for the carless and encourage those who usually drive themselves to work to use a shared ride instead.

Do these vans only make pickups if there are multiple passengers? East Rock Alder and CSEP Committee Chair Anna Festa asked. ​“Or can one person call, be picked up, and be taken somewhere?”

These vans won’t just pick up one individual, Aysola said. ​“Our goal is to have multiple riders in there. The goal is to reduce the number of people driving cars.” The pilot wouldn’t be successful if the vans were driving around, contributing to congestion, looking for riders. ​“We don’t want these vehicles to be running empty just circling around.”

Aysola said the vans therefore wouldn’t make any pickups if there was not enough demand. The vans would only run if and when all seven seats could be full, making multiple stops along each route.

Update: On Thursday afternoon, Aysola sent the Independent the following email update about the micro-transit pilot’s policy regarding the number of individuals required for each ride: ​“The city’s goal is to operate vehicles with high occupancy. Vehicles are typically designed to pick up any riders who request a ride. However, there is a high level of aggregation with this type of service especially in densely populated areas, such as New Haven, so we anticipate high occupancy during service hours. Allowing single occupancy riders is something we will consider in consultation with our partners and CTDOT.”

Pet Friendly?

“Will this be pet friendly?” Newhallville/Dixwell/Prospect Hill Alder Troy Streater asked.

“Good question,” Aysola replied. ​“We haven’t explored that.”

Update: Also on Thursday, Aysola clarified the pilot’s pet policy: ​“All drivers will be required to permit service animals alongside their riders in the vehicles without restriction. Prior to registration, all drivers must agree to the operator’s (Via) community guidelines, which state that driver partners are legally obligated under federal law to provide service to riders with service animals. Non-service animal pets will be allowed at the discretion of each driver.”

And just to be clear, Streater asked, what would be the minimum amount of passengers a van would need to have in order to ferry riders about.

“The minimum we think is seven,” Aysola said. ​“We want these vehicles to be full. If there’s not enough demand, those vehicles don’t operate.”

“This is very cool,” Fair Haven Alder Sarah Miller said, noting that she’s used similar services outside of the U.S. Where is the pickup spot in Fair Haven? she asked, peering at the city-defined map for this pilot service.

Aysola took another look, trying to place why the blue dot signifying an out-of-zone pickup spot had been place on James Street. He then remembered: that’s the District office and co-working space, he said.

Miller encouraged the city officials to rethink where in the neighborhood this pilot program will serve. Putting the Fair Haven pickup/drop- off spot at District ​“is really not going to be accessible to the highest needs populations in Fair Haven,” she said. ​“You can’t honestly say this is about equitable access for people in Fair Haven and put it at District.”

Overall all of the committee alders lauded the city officials for the program proposal — and looked forward to if and when the city landed the state grant.

Could this program ​“really revolutionize, really transform” transportation and traffic and congestion in New Haven in a significant way? Beaver Hills Alder Tom Ficklin asked.

This is not a ​“panacea,” Aysola warned. However, if such a pilot works, ​“it’s one of these tools” the city can use to reduce congestion and make transportation more environmentally sustainable. This should work together with efforts to improve the public bus system and city bike network. 

“It’s always a challenge to move people away from driving their cars,” he said. ​“We’re very hopeful this will be sustainable.”

Hill Alder Kampton Singh spoke in support of the proposed grant-application-and-acceptance resolution before all of the committee alders voted to recommend its approval.

“This is a great innovation for our city and for our residents,” he said. ​“I applaud the director of parking and partners for bringing this to the forefont. Hopefully this can be sustainable and we can [be awarded] this grant and be a leader in this space.”

Update: In his Thursday email comment to the Independent, Aysola concluded with the following: ​“This is a pilot program funded by CTDOT. The final scope, budget and other details will depend on the funding DOT allocates and will have to be negotiated with them during agreement signing. Since this is a pilot, for long-term financial sustainability, it will require sustained funding. After the 2‑year period DOT will evaluate the programs to potentially provide additional funding in 1 yr increments (up to an additional 2 yrs). During the pilot, we plan to actively work with Via, DOT and partners to pursue outside funding opportunities through grants, partnerships and/or marketing strategies to sustain and/or scale the service long-term.”