Via’s unified platform powers end-to-end planning, operations, and optimization across transit modes. From centralized dispatch, ops, and reporting tools to driver apps, fleet management, self-serve rider booking tools (oh, and Via’s managed operations)—we’ve got updates across the board.
A quick note: we shared all of these features in action during our live Product Updates webinar this month. Missed it and want to make sure you’re in the know next time? Sign up for our newsletter.
Recent and upcoming releases centered on three main themes:
Let’s jump right in!
We now have an entirely new product for designing and updating your Via demand responsive services.
Introducing Service Design in Remix: a map-based design tool where you can design and publish your microtransit service and service updates instantly—think: dates and service hours, service areas, travel connections, and more. Integrated with the Via operations suite, you can manage drivers, vehicles and riders based on these changes right away. Oh and the best part? Your riders will see instant changes in the Rider App!
Building a service from scratch? Service Design allows Via to create services with you in a much more visual, collaborative, and data-driven way.
Recent Paratransit releases streamline critical workflows so you can spend less time on the basics and more time providing excellent service.
Swipe through the gallery below to see what's new. Then, read on for all the details!
Via’s Eligibility Manager streamlines and digitizes the certification process so riders get the services they need, your team gets time back, and your agency maximizes its budget. Go paperless, stay on top of approval timelines, juggle multiple services easily, and free up staff time. What does it include, you ask? Take a look:
Learn more about eligibility management.
Keep everyone in the loop. A dedicated web app lets trusted caregivers track multiple riders’ trips. This means peace of mind for caregivers, safer travel for clients, and fewer phone calls for you. Simply assign a relationship between a rider and a caregiver and let automated communications do the rest!
Learn more about the caregiver experience.
Making the booking process as easy for agents as possible helps them manage requests quickly and maintain excellent customer service levels. Our goal with the latest booking updates? Help agents book and manage rides in as few seconds and clicks as possible!
We’ve simplified our booking flow to help anyone book a ride in seconds. Reduce call times and get riders where they need to go happily!
A few targeted improvements to the Book Ride flow keep agents moving faster: critical riders info is displayed more visibly, the rider’s home address is the default pickup address, and clear flags highlight conditional eligibility status.
New functionality empowers agents to add a Ride Sponsor to a rider’s account or trip, and the proper subsidy and labels automatically flow into the rider app, operator app, and service reports. That’s complex funding sources, made simple!
Agents can also help riders plan intermodal trips, allowing them to easily discover and navigate the entire network.
Curious to learn more about Via’s paratransit service management tools? Learn more here.
The revamped Bookings Management pages features sleeker design, faster performance, and expanded filter and search options. The goal? We’ve said it: help agents' work both quickly and accurately with easy to find shifts and bulk actions. Impending snow storm tomorrow? Cancel all rides and notify riders with just one click. Boom - more time to focus on everything else on your plate.
We know things change by the minute when service is live. So these recent updates focus on empowering dispatchers with tools to make managing live operations and changes quick and easy. The goal? Keep service running smoothly!
Thanks to the new breakdown bundle features, you can instantly move riders from an impacted vehicle to another shift in a click. This fast and easy disruption response keeps service running smoothly and on-time.
Ever used commenting in Google Sheets and wished you could do the same on rides and shifts? Good news. VOC (Via Operations Center) Commenting lets you do just that. Leave a note on a ride or shift to easily keep track of decisions you make or questions that arise. Bonus: all comments get logged in reports so you can look into things later as needed.
Manage your shifts and schedules easily with new bulk functionality that lets you make changes at once and populates automatically downstream.
Rides added to a group will be smartly assigned to the same driver’s shift so you don’t have to go back and forth. This means riders and operators get greater consistency and familiar faces. And—most importantly—you spend less time scheduling.
Smart Wait List digitally tracks waitlisted and unassigned rides and automatically adds them to the schedule as space opens up. Enjoy more rides served and fewer phone calls.
Create, manage, and make bulk edits on up to 250 shifts at a time. Centralized fleet and operator management keeps operations nimble.
Via’s Rider App seamlessly connects riders to the broader fixed route network, letting them take advantage of all modes easily. Learn more here.
Beyond integrating transit modes, MaaS App Citymapper provides integrated booking capabilities for microtransit, bus, and train tickets so your riders can easily access and pay for all modes in one place. Want to learn more? Read about it here.
Via’s latest Rider App (rolling out now!) makes using public transit fun and easy. Here are some of the new features to look forward to:
That’s all for now! We also covered our roadmap during the live session. A sneak peek: future releases focus on live service management tools that help your team to be even more proactive during live service and focus their attention where it matters most.
We love to hear your thoughts on features you’d like to see in the future, so let us know what we should build next.
If you missed the webinar and want to make sure you’re in the know next time sign up for our newsletter here.
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