Manhattan Car Service For Less Than A Cold-Pressed Juice

I’m all about convenience, as long as it’s not crazy expensive. Which is why I love the ride-sharing app Via, basically a $5 carpool for grownups who’ll never see each other again.

Until recently, Via would take you from 110th Street and the Hudson to 32nd Street and the East River for a fiver. Then, last week Via officially expanded south to 14th Street for the same $5 (plus tax)–about the same price as closing the taxi door at rush hour, and announced plans to expand to the rest of Manhattan and offer weekend service this year.

I admit to using taxis more than most people. Thanks to a bum hip, I get lapped by 74-year-old grandmothers. We live far enough from the 6 train that either I spend 15 minutes walking to Lex and then to my endpoint, or I pay Via’s $2.25 convenience fee, wait a few minutes for the black  SUV, and get picked up and dropped off relatively close to where I need to be. No tips. Not much walking.

With Via’s app, you tap your pickup address, your destination, and the number of people traveling with you. Within seconds, Via shoots back an estimate of when a car will arrive and at which corner you should to wait. You have 29 seconds to confirm. Pickup usually is within 4 to 15 minutes, though I’ve seen it as high as 25. Should you not make the meeting point, Via charges a $3 no-show fee. You get dropped two-ish blocks from your destination—though sometimes you luck out and get dropped off at your front door. The driver picks up other riders along your route if someone logs on en route.

One evening this winter, I needed to go from 103rd and Madison to 72nd and York. I could’ve hoofed it to a Fifth Avenue, waited for a bus to show, taken it down to 79th and then waited for a crosstown transfer, taken that to York, then walked my final four blocks. The 6 train would’ve been the same—but with one fewer transfer and significantly more walking. Via’s extra $2.25 was well worth it, considering what I was paying the babysitter.

Though some early Via adopters complain about growing pains for the two-year-old company—longer waits and cars that never show—I’ve found the estimated pickup times to be pretty accurate. Occasionally the wait times are significantly shorter than predicted, which is great—unless you need the cushion to actually make the pickup. Sometimes they’re a bit longer than expected, but Via lets you cancel for free if the wait is too lengthy.

It should also be noted that Via drivers must stick to the Via-assigned route in case a last-minute rider pop ups en route, which means drivers can’t divert to less crowded streets when traffic is heavy. And while Via promises to drop you at a corner within two blocks of your destination, you’re not sure if those two-ish blocks will be short street blocks or longer avenue blocks, though Via says it tries to make it one. Also, the dropoff corner may change while you’re riding should the driver pick up another fare along the way.

Via only runs weekdays from 6:30am to 9pm, but it says eventually it will add weekend service and expand coverage to the rest of Manhattan, as well as possibly Chicago and Washington, DC.

Another downside: Passengers must be 13 years old to ride alone, so you can’t Via your 10-year-old over to ballet by herself as you can with Uber, a taxi, or car service. And some would-be customers worry that drivers for the Uber, Lyft and Vias of the world aren’t as qualified or well vetted as licensed taxi drivers.

Via lets you pay with your pre-tax WageWorks commuter credit card. And should you refer a new customer, you each get $10 credits.

Trips cost $7.62 if you don’t buy $20 or $50 in credits in advance. If you do buy ahead of time, the first rider is $5 (plus tax); each additional rider in your party is $2.50 plus tax. (A new rider picked up along the route pays $5, so you don’t get a discount when you share the backseat.) With tax, your $20 prepayment only buys you about three rides with one hanger on.

So with Via, you can go from Riverside Skate Park on 108th Street and Riverside Drive to past Peter Cooper Village for $5. Those five miles in a taxi would run at least $25—plus tip. But Via only really works when you’re not crunched for time. But if you can plan ahead and are flexible, the tradeoff between $5 car rides anywhere in Manhattan may outweigh the periodic inconvenience of when a car doesn’t show or is late.

Besides, if you were taking Via instead of a taxi and your Via doesn’t show up, you’re no worse off than if Via wasn’t in your playbook.

To learn more about Via, visit ridewithvia.com!

Hillary Chura writes our Le$$er Parenting column where she helps New Yorkers parent for less. She lives in Manhattan with her sons and husband.