Via on-demand buses are now available in Jersey City. Best of all, your first two rides are free via coupon code “VIAINJC”. The promo expires on April 1 according to the city’s flyer (PDF).
Back in September, Jersey City announced it was teaming up with ride-sharing company Via to help ease the city’s transportation problems. The new network of Via buses will be New Jersey’s first city-operated, on-demand bus system, as first reported by Politico New Jersey.
“As NJ Transit continues to neglect the city’s mass transit systems, and without help from the state, we are now creating our own innovative solutions that will meet the needs of our residents,” Mayor Steven Fulop said in a press release. “This is the latest step towards our larger vision of getting cars off the road, while creating mobility in neighborhoods that sometimes lack connectivity to other parts of the city.”
$2 Via Bus Rides Hailed from Your Smartphone
If you’ve ever used Lyft or Uber, the process of hailing a Via Jersey City bus is very similar. Riders will be able to hail a Via bus using Via’s smartphone app (Android/iOS). The app will direct commuters to a “virtual” bus stop (pick up location) within walking distance from their location. For instance, there’s currently a Via Jersey City pick up location right outside the Grove PATH station.
The wait time should be no longer than 12 to 15 minutes. Riders will also be able to pay via the app or with cash. (Riders can also request a wheelchair-accessible bus if needed).
Via’s technology will help create a network of buses that doesn’t rely on specific routes or schedules. Don’t own a smartphone? You’ll still be able to hail a Jersey City Via bus by calling a special phone number.
The service divides Jersey City into a “Central Zone” and “Outer Zone.” (You can ride between zones, but you can’t ride within the Central Zone only). The Via website doesn’t make hard distinctions as to what falls under Central Zone vs. Outer Zone. However, it appears like the Central Zone encompasses all of downtown, the waterfront, Newport, Journal Square, and a part of the Heights.
Jersey City Via bus service will cost from $2 per ride. (Seniors and low-income residents will pay $1 or less). Service will operate Mondays through Fridays from 6am to 10pm. According to the press release, Via will run 14 buses in Greenville and the Heights. At least 10% of the fleet will be electric vehicles. Via says it will add more electric buses in the coming years.
Frustrating and disappointing to say the least. Living in The Heights (near Pershing Field) it’s hard to get downtown, to Grove or to the Newport Mall. The Lightrail is a long long walk and leaves you too far from Grove and all the fun, the alternative is to take a bus to Journal Square and transfer, depending on when you go you can wait a long time, sometimes it takes me over an hour just to get downtown, pathetic. I was hopeful and happy to learn about Via, but now that is dashed. Too bad
Yeah, I was bummed to see the map and how it treats Heights, JSQ, Newport, and downtown as the same zone (which means you can’t ride within the same zone). Will try to get a ride eventually and see what it’s like.
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