Move Over, Uber — Here Comes Via

A new government-subsidized rideshare-style system has rolled into New Haven, offering on-demand rides for the same price as a bus pass.

City and state officials gathered for a Thursday press conference on the New Haven Green to announce the launch of the system, which features subsidized, flexible rides in hybrid or electric cars through the transit company Via.

The city received $3 million from the state Department of Transportation to fund the partnership with Via (referred to as a ​“microtransit” system, because it relies on smaller vehicles compared to traditional public transit). The program is part of a broader $19.5 million investment in on-demand microtransit systems across 17 towns in the state throughout the last year.

As with Uber and Lyft, Via rides are typically booked by way of an app (though rides can also be scheduled by calling 475 – 303-5467) and paid for electronically through a credit or debit card. 

Unlike traditional rideshare companies, Via pays New Haven drivers between $19.50 and $21 an hour, regardless of the number of rides they complete. 

Also unlike Lyft and Uber, Via’s New Haven program operates as a carpool by default. It asks passengers to meet their driver at a pick-up spot along a route calculated based on the group’s various destinations.

In New Haven’s two-year pilot program, which launched in mid-March, Via will pick up and drop off passengers within areas of the city where residents are less likely to own cars: primarily parts of the Hill, West River, Edgewood, Whalley, Beaver Hills, Newhallville, Fair Haven, and Downtown. The service can also connect riders to Union Station, the State Street train station, and Tweed Airport. The six Via cars will operate between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Passenger fares are equivalent to CT Transit fares, costing $1.75 per ride or 85 cents for riders who are low-income or above the age of 65. 

“Transportation is one of the single biggest drivers of household costs,” said City Economic Development Coordinator Mike Piscitelli. ​“If you’re on a family budget,” he said, it can be hard to find transportation outside of the fixed bus routes.

Via can accommodate wheelchair users, service animals, and non-service pets that are kept in carriers.

City officials stressed that Via is designed to fill gaps within the CT Transit bus system, not to act as a replacement for traditional public transit. 

City Transportation, Traffic, and Parking Director Sandeep Aysola stressed that Via is just ​“one of those pieces to fill that puzzle” of getting from place to place within the city, noting that the program is intended to supplement travel by bike, scooter, foot, or bus.

Via’s service to the train stations will help riders ​“bridge the first and last mile connections” from larger transit hubs to their specific destinations, said state transportation chief Benjamin Limmer — making car alternatives like commuter rails more accessible and convenient options.

“We will have the ability to extend the program” if it is widely used, Limmer said.

After a decade of driving for Uber and Lyft, Moriken Sangary switched to working for Via in March. 

So far, he said, he far prefers driving for Via. One reason is the guaranteed hourly wage. ​“With Uber and Lyft, some days I would come out with nothing, using my own money for gas,” he recalled. 

Sangary used to spend days driving from early in the morning until 11 p.m. With Via, he typically claims shifts from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ​“I get time to go to my family,” he said.

Sangary said he’s also glad to be providing low-cost rides. His new job is ​“helping the community,” he said. 

Over the last month, he’s gotten to know some regular passengers by name. He described one high school student whom he picks up at the same time each day to drive to school. ​“We know each other,” Sangary said. 

The teen, Sangary said, now calls him by the nickname ​“Mo” and ends each ride by saying, ​“See you tomorrow!”