There's more than one way to meet demand for transportation options.
Lauren Schwartzberg reports on the cohort of early adopters driving the success of the transportation network company called Via, described as a "mix between Uber and the city bus" operating in New York City.
Schwartzberg provides the background:
"In September 2013, [Via] began by offering rides between the Upper East Side and midtown for $4. It’s since upped that to $5 for a ride anywhere between 110th Street and the southernmost tip of Manhattan but spent almost no money on advertising — the founders were concerned about keeping up with what they assumed would be massive demand."
To prevent getting oversaturated with demand, Via has deliberately stayed off the radar, except, according to Schwartzberg one group: "senior citizens: 27 percent of Via riders are over 55, with 10 percent of those checking in at older than 65 (only 30 percent are between 25 and 34)."
The article goes on to provide testimonials from some of the TNC's users—all female and all varying in age from 65 and 86.
FULL STORY: Early-Adopter Seniors Have Totally Taken Over the Ride-Sharing App Via

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.

In More Metros Than You’d Think, Suburbs are Now More Expensive Than the City
If you're moving to the burbs to save on square footage, data shows you should think again.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)