23 Feb 19
News

On-demand shuttle service launched in Latin America

Ride-hail company Via is testing its CityBus 2.0 service in Brazil, the first on-demand shuttle ride service operated by a public transit operator in Latin America. 

Backed by Daimler, the US-based company has kicked off a 6-month test (February-July 2019) throughout 11 districts in the city of Goiânia (Goiás state) in cooperation with local transit operator HP Transportes Coletivos. If all goes well, it wil be expanded throughout the metropolitan region.

Passengers request rides via a mobil app and fares are calculated depending on the distance of the ride. The starting rate is 2.50 reais (US$0.68) and can be paid via credit card, or in some cases, with cash. The current rate of traditional collective transport service (bus) in the city is 4.00 reais, making the CityBus service a more viable alternative for shorter trips of a few kilometers. 

The CityBus fleet is made up of 30 drivers operating 14-seater Mercedes-Benz vans capable of handling 3,500 trips per day. Worldwide, Via has a total of 50 deployments in 15 countries.

Authored by: Daniel Bland