Via Jersey City
Via Jersey City was a relaunch of Jersey City's microtransit program focused on everyday mobility and First-Mile & Last-Mile connections with the wider MTA transit network.
Client Context
Located just west of New York City, Jersey City plays a significant role in the Northeast Corridor. Many see it as a miniature New York, as residents commute in and out of the city frequently. More importantly, though, Jersey City is its own destination, boasting a skyline on par with some of the best in the country and a plethora of historic neighborhoods like Journal Square, Paulus Hook, and Newport.
With residents reliant on a strained bus network to travel within the city or to and from transit stations serving New York, city leadership sought to remedy this with a microtransit service that would meet a wide range of mobility needs.
Project Overview
I was tasked with handling the transition of Via Jersey City from Via's legacy Tech Stack to Via's new standard infrastructure. This consisted of supporting the development of an updated consumer mobile app and migration of components used in the live service (Drivers, Vehicles, etc.) Furthermore, existing user data was also moved to ensure that the rider transition to the new app was as seamless as possible.
In addition, the vehicle fleet was revamped, with Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles maintained to ensure transit access for riders with disabilities.
Unique Factors / Challenges
Unique factors of this project were the following:
Operational testing
Data synchronization
Payment integration
Migration planning
Operational testing was a unique challenge because the project centered on technical upgrades to a live operating service. This factor meant that testing processes and timing had to be altered to ensure the operational service wasn't impacted.
Data synchronization was notable because the program was never shut down during the transition to avoid disrupting riders' commute routines. Therefore, data was being written and stored within the old infrastructure right up until the service migration actually occurred. To enable this, rider data was transferred multiple times to ensure all previous data was present in the new database.
Payment integration efforts were significant because the technical update included updating available payment options and payment processing flows. This included adding newer payment methods such as Apple Pay. Moreover, it was critical that existing rider credits purchased by users were transferred and usable within the new app.
Finally, coordination of the migration was notable, as it required extensive In-Person and remote-office resources to be aligned within a short time window on the morning of the migration. Systems were successfully implemented and workflows executed overnight within a couple of hours, ensuring that the old technical systems remained operational through the end of the previous service day and that the new ones were ready to go by the next morning. This effort was unlike other transition efforts, as Via Jersey City is one of the largest active Via deployments nationwide. Support and engineering teams globally were involved in this effort.
Achievements & Outcome
A white-label mobile application titled "Via Jersey City"
A needed update to New Jersey's first microtransit service, offering Jersey City residents an additional option for traveling within the city and accessing stations connected to Northeast Hubs such as New York City, Boston, and Washington D.C.
Service of over 2,000 rides per day, and over Two Million rides total since 2020, with 1 in 5 Jersey City residents having taken a ride on the service
