City of Arlington Awarded for Leadership in Equity-Focused, Innovative Transportation with Via On-Demand Service

By Office of Communication

Posted on December 21, 2021, December 21, 2021

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. Arlington’s Via On-Demand service 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.

Some frequent riders have shared the positive impact that the service has made on their daily life:

• “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.”

“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,” said 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,” said Dillon Twombly, Chief Revenue Officer at Via. “The Arlington community should be proud to be part of a city dedicated to innovative, equitable mobility.”

About City of Arlington

Arlington, the 49th largest city in America, is a global community and has been recognized as the 8th most diverse city in the country. As a premiere entertainment destination, Arlington attracts nearly 14 million visitors each year and is home to Six Flags Over Texas and Hurricane Harbor, Texas Live! and three professional sports franchises: the Dallas Cowboys, the Texas Rangers and the WNBA’s Dallas Wings. The City, positioned at the center of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, is also proud to be the home of The University of Texas at Arlington, General Motors, D.R. Horton and a host of global, domestic and family-owned businesses. Arlington is a leader in transportation innovation, as one of the first cities in the country to offer on-demand rideshare and autonomous vehicle transportation services to residents and visitors. Quality of life in The American Dream City second to none, with a low cost of living, affordable housing, rich educational and culture opportunities, nationally recognized recreation facilities and 4,600 acres of parkland.

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, with 500 partnerships in more than 35 countries and counting.