Local funding accounts for the majority of transportation funding in the United States — a whopping 62.3%. On-demand transit company Via today announced the closing of $27 million in Series B funding to help accelerate the growth of its unique transit system for heavily trafficked cities. In response to what Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop calls unreliable bus service by NJ Transit, the city has announced a partnership with Via — a ride-sharing provider that offered on-demand … In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Congress passed the CARES Act, which provided $25B in transit funding that can be used at a 100% match for all operating expenses. A city might dedicate its shuttle service to transporting goods or essential personnel. The FTA outlines these programs in an FAQ.They include transportation assistance programs from the Older Americans Act and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The company operates consumer-facing shuttles in Chicago, Washington, D.C. and New York. “Shuttle – Holt dich ab” will complement existing Gütersloh bus routes, reaching areas not served and extending in geographic scope during the evening hours, and on Sundays and public holidays, so that the service can operate acrossRead More When the company first launched in 2012, there was little interest from cities in the software platform, according to co-founder and CEO Daniel Ramot. On-demand transit services, on the other hand, can improve mass-transit usage when operators and local authorities work together. In Washington State, Ben Franklin Transit partnered with Via to launch an on-demand transit service in West Pasco, starting with support for essential travel needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can read more about the, each launched their successful microtransit deployments using federal funds from FTA’s. When New York State passed its congestion fees for taxis and ridehailing vehicles entering Manhattan, it committed to spend some of the revenue on first/last mile improvements in the outer boroughs. When it comes to funding innovative new transit tech, money can be an obstacle. Users can use the Via app on smart phone or call 817-784-7382 to book rides. Perhaps the most interesting dynamic tolling scheme in the nation over the last few years has taken place in Northern Virginia on I-66. For example, the Rail and Transit Division of Massachusetts Department of Transportation provided $4.2M in grants in 2020 for “projects aimed at meeting workforce transportation needs around the Commonwealth.” Through this program, the Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) in Westborough, MA received a $460,000 grant to pilot a public-private, on-demand shuttle service. (Photo via Governor Gretchen Whitmer YouTube channel through Zoom stream). We’ve compiled this guide on the various ways communities in the US can fund their microtransit dreams, breaking them down into federal, state, and local sources. In 2019, the partnerships side of the business “took off,” Ramot said in a recent interview, adding that the company was signing on two to three cities a week before the COVID-19 pandemic. In many cases, transit agencies want to operate their own microtransit services using an existing pool of vehicles and drivers. Fare is $3 each way. According to figures presented at the January 22nd Birmingham City Council Transportation Committee meeting , Birmingham On Demand completed more than 3000 rides in the first 45 days and wait times averaged seven and a half minutes. What they need is to license the technology and software to power such a service. Noam Ohana, who heads up Exor Seeds, the holding company’s early-stage investment arm, will join Via’s board. Some local leaders have explored creative alternatives to tax revenues in order to fund their transportation services, and have partnered with key stakeholders in their community — from corporations to foundations to universities — to come together to solve transportation issues. majority of transportation funding in the United States — a whopping 62.3%. Via has partnered with a number of cities and transit agencies on successful grant applications through these programs to launch new microtransit services. Via is on-demand transit on a mass scale; it’s transportation that’s friendly to our planet. As a result, states have to be creative about their funding sources and mechanisms for innovative transit programs. New York (PRWEB) April 02, 2015 -- Via (www.ridewithvia.com), the on-demand transit company, announced today the closing of $27 million in Series B funding to The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) has expanded the services offered by its 42-vehicle on-demand transit system in partnership with Via, a mobility solutions company. In small urban and rural communities (any community under 200,000 in population), the remaining 50% of the contract is treated as an operational cost and can receive up to 50% in federal match. Despite the increase in demand for transit, Michigan lawmakers have devastated public transportation funding over the last 10 years. Historically, federal funding has focused on capital expenditures like purchasing buses or constructing subway stations. For example, the City of Birmingham partnered with the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham to fund and launch an on-demand pilot program aimed at providing affordable transit in low-income communities. The award was part of $3.5 million in grant funding … Other transit agencies deploy microtransit by contracting with a private provider to operate the whole service — what some call a “turnkey” solution or “transportation as a service (TaaS).” In this arrangement, agencies. Transit agencies can use these funds to make up for lost revenue, cover cleaning expenses and PPE, as well as launch new programs to address essential worker transit and meal delivery — including microtransit. Below are a few creative ways to raise local funds. The award was part of $3.5 million in grant funding for RTAs across the Commonwealth. The following year, New York State passed comprehensive congestion pricing for New York City! You can read more about the CARES Act funding on our blog. The company was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in New York, United States. . Licensing. When it comes to funding innovative new transit tech, money can be an obstacle. The Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) includes another $11M to promote “forward-thinking approaches to improve financing, system design and service” with winners announced later this year. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) began recognizing microtransit as public transportation, in 2016, allowing formula funds to be used towards microtransit projects. Governor Whitmer holds a virtual conference on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. predicting that microtransit shuttles will account for 50% of the shared mobility market by 2030, one of the biggest hurdles cities and transit agencies in the United States face is how to actually fund these technology-powered transit networks. The German city of Gütersloh has a new on-demand transit service thanks to a collaboration between Stadtbus and ViaVan. Existing partners, a list that includes transit authorities in Berlin, Germany, Ohio and Malta, have worked with Via to convert or adapt the software to meet new needs during the pandemic. But the core of its business is really its underlying software platform, which it sells to cities and transportation authorities to deploy their own shuttles. Transit startup Via raised $200 million in a new round of funding. Los Angeles and Seattle each launched their successful microtransit deployments using federal funds from FTA’s Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox Program. Local sources include transit fares, local government budgets, ballot measures, and local partnerships. Other grant programs less focused on innovative mobility — such as the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) and the Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Program (ATCMTD) — have not been used for microtransit to date, but may in the future. On Thursday, May 14th, 82 organizations, unions, and elected officials across the state of Pennsylvania called on state legislators to ensure that the PA Turnpike fulfills its $450 million transit funding obligations until 2023, or until a sustainable, dedicated alternative funding source is secured. The project will be the first public-private transit partnership in the Central Massachusetts region that will introduce on-demand microtransit. It is a cashless service so the rides can be paid with credit/debit card through the app or by phone. (BFT) in Washington State recently lauded a new on-demand transit service that is, in part, paid for with CARES Act funding. We provide first/last mile, school bus, transit desert, paratransit, and non-emergency medical solutions. Services dedicated to the first and last mile, such as Seattle’s Via to Transit service and a similar pilot in Los Angeles, provide rides to and from public transit … This week, more than 30 members of the House endorsed a resolution that calls for equity in funding for public transit. While passengers, miles and hours do not provide a comprehensive measure of transit service levels, they are good indicators. The new deal brings its valuation to $2.25 billion. Via provides on-demand shared mobility solutions, working with cities and transportation agencies around the world to connect more people to transit. While most communities find their local match in their local budgets, there are some federal programs that provide funding that can serve as a local match. If you are interested in learning more about options for funding transit, please contact Shannon Stevenson at 817-608-2304 or sstevenson@nctcog.org. 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