Transportation
Can Microtransit and Regular Buses Live in Harmony?
In Sioux Falls, the mobility company Via is betting that on-demand vans can complement fixed-route bus service across a sprawling and fast-growing South Dakota city.
Public transit now comes in two sizes in Sioux Falls.
Source: Via
Microtransit has polarized transportation planners ever since startups began touting it as the future of urban mobility in the mid-2010s.
Boosters say that on-demand vans hailed via smartphone apps can provide better service, at a lower cost, than old-school buses in low-density neighborhoods. Critics counter that microtransit is expensive and inefficient, taking money away from tried-and-true solutions.