BY ETHAN THOMAS
How it works
By the numbers
How it works
Order your ride
The service will be operational seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Riders can download the “Ride the Rio!” app from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and will be prompted to create an account. Similar to other rideshare apps, the user will select a pickup and drop-o location, according to the “Ride the Rio!” website. Once selected, riders who are students, veterans, seniors, or disabled can schedule a ride, while others can choose to be picked up as soon as possible, which the city aims to keep within 30 minutes, Sitton said. Seniors, disabled individuals, veterans and students will pay a discounted $2 rate, and other riders will be charged $4 , according to the city’s website. Those who do not wish to use the app can either order their ride online at https://city.ridewithvia.com/new-braunfels or call the general dispatch number at 830-282-3413, according to the website.
The rst year of the service will primarily be funded by American Rescue Plan Act funds, which will account for about 65% of operational costs. Additional funding will come from the New Braunfels Transit District’s designation as a “small urbanized area” by the Federal Transit Administration, Sitton said. The FTA makes federal resources available for transit operating assistance and transpor- tation-related planning in urbanized areas— dened as having populations of 50,000 or more. State funds will be used to account for the 35% local match required by the FTA, Ford said. The service will cost the city $6.08 million in total, as previously reported by Community Impact . The cost per year will uctuate between $1.15 million and $1.29 million over the course of ve years , Sitton said.
Pay the $4 fee or $2 discounted rate
Hop on!
Get to your destination
Know before you go
Children 14 and under may not use the service unless accompanied by a parent or guardian who must also pay the appropriate fare.
Eating and drinking are not allowed inside the van.
Riders who are severely ill and possibly contagious may be denied a ride, according to the website.
Funding breakdown Year one of the service will be funded primarily by ARPA funds, and future funding depends on available state and federal money, Sitton said.
Looking ahead
Ridership and locational demand data will be used to make the determination in the future. Service years 2029 and 2030 are optional, with the availability to extend the service contract through the two remaining years, Sitton said. “There’s a variety of things that we could look at to determine how we change this system,” she said.
All rides will be free until Dec. 31, but after the new year, riders can pay in advance by using a credit or debit card linked to the account or pay in cash. The service contract with River North Transit, a subsidiary of Via, will be in eect until 2028, after which the city will reevaluate the service, including possible expansion, changes in operations or a switch to a xed-route system.
Federal funding: ARPA, FTA funds
State funding: City's contributions, funded by state grants
35%
Year 1
65%
Mention Community Impact for $50 off your first service
830.608.9989 NEW BRAUNFELS & SPRING BRANCH
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