Metro Transit introduces Via-powered microtransit service in North Minneapolis

Sept. 10, 2022 (MINNEAPOLIS) — Residents in North Minneapolis can now catch a ride when and where they need it using Metro Transit micro, the first public on-demand ridesharing service in the City of Minneapolis. To request a ride, customers will need to download the Metro Transit micro app.    

“This service will give more people opportunities to travel without relying on a personal vehicle,” Metro Transit General Manager Wes Kooistra said. “It is a step forward in meeting the unique mobility needs of our customers by improving access to our existing transit network.”

Here is what users need to know about Metro Transit micro:

• Using the Metro Transit micro app, rides can be requested within a 2.5 square mile area roughly bounded by I-94 to the east, I-394 to the south, Theodore Wirth Regional Park to the west, and Golden Valley Road/West Broadway Avenue to the north. Trips can be taken to any destination within this service area.

• Five minibuses will be in service between 5 a.m. and midnight, every day of the week. Once a request is made, customers can track the vehicle’s location in real time; wait times will vary but the small service area should mean pick-ups should generally occur within a few minutes.
• Trips on Metro Transit micro cost the same as a regular route transit fare, and can be purchased through the Metro Transit mobile ticketing app, using a Go-To Card or cash.

The Metro Transit micro service area was selected to supplement existing transit service in North Minneapolis, including the METRO C Line, and to support Metro Transit’s goal of advancing equity in the region.  Of the nearly 7,500 residents who live in the service area, about 60% are Black and the median annual household income is about $30,000.  

Metro Transit micro is a partnership between the Metropolitan Council, Metro Transit, and Transit Team, whose operators will provide the service under contract. The app is offered by Via, the global leader in TransitTech.

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About Via

Founded in 2012, Via pioneered the TransitTech category by using new technologies to develop public mobility systems — optimizing networks of buses, shuttles, wheelchair accessible vehicles, school buses, autonomous vehicles, and electric vehicles around the globe. Building the world’s most efficient, equitable, and sustainable transportation network for all riders — including those with limited mobility, those without smartphones, and unbanked populations — Via works with its partners to lower the costs of public transit while providing transportation options that rival the convenience of a personal car while reducing the environmental impact. At the intersection of transportation and technology, Via is a visionary market leader that combines software innovation with sophisticated service design and operational expertise to fundamentally improve the way the world moves, providing technology in 600 communities and more than 35 countries and counting.