Via and SacRT launch on-demand public transportation in Sacramento

Uber and Lyft are about to get some competition from an on-demand public transit system in Sacramento, California. Via has teamed up with the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) to create what they call the largest “microtransit system” in America. That’s heartening to hear for me, as I grew up in Sacramento and used to ride buses all over town in my youth. It means that the public will be able to hail rides from apps and the city’s public transportation department will send out vehicles to pick people up and deliver them, just as the ride-sharing services do. Called SmaRT Ride, the on-demand public transportation network debuted on January 6 with nine zones and 42 vehicles.