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City picks VIA-style microtransit model for paratransit and on-demand trips to lower costs
Summary
Council authorized a three-year agreement with a VIA-style provider using driver-owned vehicles (non-dedicated fleet) at $49.80/hour to provide passenger trips; staff said the model reduces costs and average wait time is ~20 minutes, with 60% of riders still calling rather than using the app.
Staff presented a recommendation to award passenger-trip services to River North LLC using a non-dedicated, ride-share-style model similar to VIA. The previous vendor (NDMJ) provided about 25,000 trips annually at roughly $33 per trip and cost about $800,000 a year; staff described bidding results that included two options from VIA: a non-dedicated fleet (Option 1) using driver-owned vehicles at $49.80/hour (chosen) and a dedicated, wheelchair-accessible fleet (Option 2) at $85.09/hour.
Staff said the selected option offers cost savings and operational efficiency; staff estimated the non-dedicated model could save roughly $158,500 compared with the previous per-trip model and, when viewed hourly for 9,000 hours, could yield greater savings. Average wait time currently runs about 15–20 minutes for pickup and about 40 minutes total trip time; app usage is about 40% while 60% still call. Staff retained the ability to call on the previous vendor for wheelchair-accessible trips when needed.
Council approved the contract authorization on a voice vote. Staff said they will monitor ridership and wait times and can add vehicles where data show the system is in the red.
