Via terminating NYC ride-sharing service to focus on public transit offering

Israeli TransitTech company Via notified its drivers on Wednesday that it will be discontinuing its New York City ridesharing service on December 20. Via offered drivers that will find themselves out of work due to its decision to operate other services in the Tri-State Area, including in the Via Jersey City service.

Via entered the U.S. market through it ridesharing offering, challenging Uber and others. The Covid-19 pandemic brought ridesharing to a complete standstill and even though the company restarted its van service in New York in July, it has now announced it will be shutting it down as part of its increased focus on being a public transit solutions provider.

Via announced last month the completion of a $130 million Series G funding round at a post-money valuation of $3.3 billion. Founded in 2012 by CEO Daniel Ramot and CTO Oren Shoval, Via employs around 400 people in its R&D center in Israel, of the 1,000 people it employs worldwide. Via provides its smart public transport solution to over 500 partners in more than 38 countries. Via cooperates with public transportation providers, private transit companies, taxi fleets, corporate shuttles, and school and university transport services.