Northeastern University taps Via to power new on-demand safety shuttle
RedEye marks one of the first times a North American university integrates its student shuttle with on-demand ride hailing technology.
September 9, 2019 (BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS) — Via, the world’s leading provider and developer of on-demand public mobility solutions, today announced it will power a new transit deployment in partnership with Northeastern University, a global research university in based in Boston. Called RedEye, the dynamically-routed transit network ensures students a safe ride home from the campus library, and marks one of the first universities in North America to integrate ride hailing technology into its campus shuttle system.
RedEye operates within a two-mile radius of Northeastern University’s Snell Library, allowing students who live off-campus a safe and completely free ride home during nightly study sessions. Managed by the Northeastern University Police Department, students using the RedEye app can request a ride every night from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m.
“We are delighted to partner with Northeastern University to bring a new level of convenience and efficiency to the RedEye Safety Escort,” said Daniel Ramot, co-founder and CEO of Via. "Students shouldn't have to think twice about getting around campus safely. Via's mobility solutions will provide students with a smart, efficient, and sustainable campus transportation solution.”
Riders can download the RedEye app (iOS and Android) to hail the safety escort van directly from their smartphone. Via’s advanced algorithms will enable multiple riders to seamlessly share the vehicle. The powerful technology will direct passengers to the pickup point at Snell Quadrangle in front of Snell Library, allowing for quick and efficient shared trips without lengthy detours, or inconvenient fixed routes and schedules.
More than 3,300 students used the service for 45,000 rides in the 2018-2019 academic year. Northeastern Police Staff Sgt. John Farrell says he expects those numbers to rise this year now that the campus transitioned to Via’s technology from a previous provider. Students told Northeastern they looked forward to the improved RedEye service with Via, adding many riders would previously bypass the app and ask the driver to take them home, leading to inefficient routing.
Via has been tapped by cities and transportation players around the world to help re-engineer public transit from a regulated system of rigid routes and schedules to a fully dynamic, on-demand network. Via now has more than 80 launched and pending deployments in nearly 20 countries, providing more than 60 million rides to date. To learn more about Via, visit www.platform.ridewithvia.com.
About Via
Via is re-engineering public transit, from a regulated system of rigid routes and schedules to a fully dynamic, on-demand network. Via's mobile app connects multiple passengers who are headed the same way, allowing riders to seamlessly share a premium vehicle. First launched in New York City in September 2013, the Via platform operates in the United States and in Europe through its joint venture with Mercedes-Benz Vans, ViaVan. Via's technology is also deployed worldwide through dozens of partner projects with public transportation agencies, private transit operators, taxi fleets, private companies, and universities, seamlessly integrating with public transit infrastructure to power cutting-edge on-demand mobility. For more information, visit www.platform.ridewithvia.com.