PUBLIC TRANSIT GETS A PICK-ME-UP

Ride-hailing technology helps fill the gaps in Cupertino's transportation services

The Sunnyvale Caltrain station is Cupertino's gateway for tech commuters coming from San Francisco to Apple's headquarters. But riders looking to finish the last 4 miles of their journey from the station to Apple face an additional 30 minutes on public transit with plenty of walking in between.

It's part of a gap in Cupertino's transit infrastructure that the city is now addressing with a technology that is only recently making headway in public transit: ride-hailing.

With a few clicks on a phone, you can summon a sharedride van for a flat rate of $4 — or $2 for seniors and youth — and ride anywhere within Cupertino city boundaries or to the Sunnyvale Caltrain station. That is a lot quicker than taking the bus and upward of 70% cheaper than similar Uber rides. In recent weeks the service is becoming even more cost-competitive as gas prices drive up the price of traveling by car.

Via is the company behind the fleet of on-demand vans. Dozens of transit operators in California have contracted Via to integrate ride-hailing technology into bus and rail networks to fuse the convenience of on-demand cars with the affordability of public transit.

Krista Glotzbach, the director of West Coast partnership at Via, is overseeing a team of 60 people in her San Francisco office with partnerships that span the mountains of Northern California to the beaches of Southern California. There's a $1.75 on-demand bus in Los Angeles and a free shuttle in Shasta County, all using Via's algorithms to pair riders with vehicles.

On a recent Tuesday Glotzbach rode in a Via van with a reporter from this news organization to explain the company's unique model of modernizing public transit and the challenges of getting riders back on shuttles temporarily halted by the pandemic.

Q

Why does Via partner with public transit agencies instead of rolling out a more conventional ride-hailing service like Uber or Lyft that competes with transit providers?

A

Our goal is really to improve accessibility and equity in transportation services. If there's a fixed bus route

PHOTOS BY DAI SUGANO — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER “Our goal is really to improve accessibility and equity in transportation services,” says Krista Glotzbach, director of West Coast partnership at ride-hailing tech company Via. “What we want to do is help people get where they need to go or to get them to public transit.”

Inside a Via van. “We have put a lot of protocols in place to help reassure people” about sharing a vehicle with strangers, notes Krista Glotzbach.

Via's on-demand vans take passengers anywhere in Cupertino or to the Sunnyvale Caltrain station for $4, or $2 for seniors and youth.