VIA Link Downtown Goes Partly Electric Thursday, Adding Two Chevrolet Equinox EVs to the Rideshare Fleet
The two electric vehicles start service Thursday alongside the existing downtown fleet at the same $1.30 fare, as VIA Link passes 2.5 million trips since 2019.
Downtown's on-demand rideshare is adding an electric option. VIA Metropolitan Transit is putting two Chevrolet Equinox electric vehicles into its VIA Link Downtown fleet, with service beginning Thursday, Oct. 29, the agency announced on its own site. The vehicles carry a distinct VIA-branded design that keeps the familiar VIA Link look with an added element identifying their electric capability.
Riders cannot request the Equinox specifically — the cars operate alongside the existing downtown fleet — but the VIA Link app will show when an electric vehicle has been assigned to a pickup. “Adding these vehicles gives us another opportunity to explore how different technologies can support our service and better understand what works best for our customers and our operations,” VIA President and CEO Jon Gary Herrera said in the agency's announcement.
The downtown service is a small piece of a much larger system: VIA Link has reached 2.5 million trips since its inception in 2019, and the Downtown zone alone has provided nearly 34,000 passenger trips connecting riders to jobs, businesses, entertainment and downtown destinations, according to VIA. The electric debut lands ten days after the agency launched VIA Link After Midnight on Oct. 19, a pilot meant to get overnight workers and other late-night downtown riders home after regular bus service ends. Rides on both the electric vehicles and the After Midnight service cost $1.30 and are booked in the VIA Link app.
