Arlington, Texas expands On-Demand Transportation Network
Arlington, Texas has been an early adopter of “micro-transit” — an on-demand, flexible minibus service and launched the first pilot – Arlington RAPID pilot program in 2017. The service allows the rider to summon vehicles to their doors using their smartphones. Arlington partnered with Via to launch the service and became one of the first cities in the country to use on-demand technology as their primary public transportation solution.
In March 2021, Arlington decided to expand its services citywide. The platform routes passengers in real-time to “virtual bus stops” within just a couple blocks for pickup and drop off, enabling multiple passengers headed in the same direction to efficiently share a single-vehicle.
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The city of Arlington is operating RAPID (Rideshare, Automation and Payment Integration Demonstration) in partnership with Via, May Mobility, and UTA through a grant provided by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The city will be served by about 70 shared shuttle-like vehicles — provided by Via — which will operate similar to a single-passenger ride-hailing service.
The per-ride fare is just $3, which is at or around the cost of a bus ride in many cities, and there’s also an option to pick up a subsidized weekly pass for just $10.
