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Board hears concerns about Via rideshare pilot's $400,000 cost and data gaps
Summary
Town liaison described a countywide Via rideshare pilot pitched as free to riders but budgeted at about $400,000, prompting board questions about funding sources and whether ridership data is available to justify the expense.
Town Council Liaison Mark Davis described a presentation the council received from Via, a rideshare pilot the county is exploring. He said the program is being described as free to riders but noted concerns about taxpayer funding: "So it's $400,000 for that. Where in the budget does that come from? We don't know yet," he said, adding that the council approved advancing the pilot to the next review phase to collect more information.
Board members asked whether Via collects demographic or trip-origin/destination data and whether a short survey could be used; the liaison said Via claimed they could not share certain records for legal reasons but agreed to discuss survey options. The board asked staff to seek ridership and demographic information before approving funding or full deployment.
