Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Jersey City weighs cutting Via microtransit service amid budget crisis
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published May 13, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Via
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published May 13, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Jersey City leaders are considering scaling back a popular microtransit service — or scrapping it entirely — as they grapple with a $255 million budget shortfall.
Mayor James Solomon’s administration notified the City Council last month that it intends to cut the Via Jersey City service to potentially save $8 million annually.
"Ending the Via contract is a necessary step as we work to address Jersey City's budget deficit responsibly,” Nathaniel Styer, a spokesperson for Solomon, said in a statement.
Via Jersey City has served transit deserts around the city since it was launched in 2020. It’s a city-subsidized on-demand service operated by the publicly traded, New York-based Via. Riders book trips on a dedicated app, choosing their pickup and drop-off locations.
Riders are directed to designated pickup locations to make driving around the city more efficient for drivers. The app suggests public transit alternatives for trips the service can't make.
A single Via ride costs its users a base fare of $2.00 for rides between the designated central zone and out zone, with rides between two points in the outer zone costing an additional 50 cents per mile. The city subsidizes the rest.
Each trip in 2025 cost an average of $15.80, including the rider’s portion, according to the city’s calculation. But Via says that over the lifetime of the program, the cost per ride is closer to $11.
Via operates similar services around New Jersey, including a program with Passaic County serving Clifton and Passaic, a recently launched pilot with NJ Transit in Bergen County and Monmouth County, and a trial in Newark.
Via Jersey City has provided more than 3.3 million rides, according to the company, which estimates more than 60% of riders use the service to get to work, school or healthcare visits. About 80% of riders are people of color. Via’s fleet includes vehicles that can accommodate wheelchair users.
Two city officials – Director of Infrastructure Andy Kaplan and Corporation Counsel Sarah Levine – sent a memo to the City Council on April 2 laying out the Solomon administration’s reasons for cutting the service. They said that the cost was never properly budgeted for by then-Mayor Steve Fulop.
The service brings transit to parts of Jersey City without public transit, said Gabby McCaig, a Via spokesperson, who noted that 90% of Via’s Jersey City trips lack public transit alternatives.
"For every dollar the city spends, Via Jersey City costs roughly one penny. That penny delivers 14,000-plus critical rides per week to communities that are disproportionately low-income, minorities, seniors and people with disabilities,” McCaig said. “We are deeply committed to this service and we’re eager to work with city officials to find a way to maintain this vital transportation solution."
Solomon joined a unanimous vote to award the program’s contract to Via in 2019 and voted to award the company a second contract last year while serving on the City Council. But Solomon’s transit platform while campaigning for mayor did not mention Via Jersey City – he instead promised to push higher authorities for improved bus, light rail and PATH train services.
Styer said city officials are evaluating options to augment or replace Via Jersey City, including fixed-route bus service.
“Once we stabilize the City's finances, we fully intend to revisit expanded transit options for our community," Styer said.
Negotiations between Via and city officials are ongoing. Solomon will need the City Council’s approval to cancel or amend the Via contract. The council awarded Via a second contract for the service last year, with an initial two-year term and a city option to extend another three years.
Some are hoping to scale back Via service rather than eliminating it, including Frank Gilmore, a councilmember whose ward includes the Bergen-Lafayette section of Jersey City.
“A lot of things are going to be scaled back,” Gilmore said. “It's not a particular attack, if you will, on Via. I just think given the financial decisions that are before this council and this administration, it is incumbent upon us to cut back on services.”
Tagged
jersey city
transit
Michael Sol Warren
Michael Sol Warren covers New Jersey for WNYC and Gothamist, and previously reported on issues around the Garden State for NJ Spotlight News and NJ Advance Media. He can be reached at [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .