Via launched Via Intelligence, the first vertical AI platform engineered exclusively for public transportation. 

As government entities face mounting operational costs and growing pressure to serve more people with existing budgets, Via Intelligence delivers cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools as a solution to tackle transit’s toughest challenges, company officials said. 

The platform transforms dense, highly complex transit data into strategic recommendations, enhancing the efficiency, reliability, and performance of transit networks.

Leveraging AI

While Via’s algorithms have been powered by AI for more than a decade, Via Intelligence now offers a suite of AI-powered tools. 

Unlike generic horizontal AI applications, Via’s offering merges transit data sets with specialized expertise in transit operations, according to the company. 

The result is a single platform that helps governments seamlessly and confidently analyze, plan, and take action to build transit networks that match how people really move. With Via Intelligence, agencies deliver better returns on every dollar invested in the network.

“We designed Via Intelligence to bring the power of AI to every city and transit agency and to every rider of public transit,” said Nithya Sowrirajan, chief product officer at Via. “We're empowering our customers to make faster and more informed decisions by modeling all possible outcomes — so whether they're looking to put in a new bus line or seeking to improve efficiency of their transportation service, they can understand the implications of their decisions before they become a reality.” 

Via Intelligence

Via Intelligence isn’t theoretical, it’s already part of Via’s products, delivering measurable impact, the company said. 

A few examples shared by Via include:

• Scheduling Engine allows agile operations: A single traffic jam can render a static transit schedule obsolete, causing a domino effect of delays and frustrated riders. The platform’s scheduling engine acts as an intelligent, digital dispatcher adjusting to real-time conditions and automatically optimizing routes to solve problems before they affect passengers. The impact is dramatic: In Fort Worth, Texas, Trinity Metro was able to serve 13% more ADA paratransit rides per service hour, and reduce trips longer than 90 minutes by 86%. 

• Predictive Runtimes help plan with confidence: Planning new bus routes requires transit planners to estimate travel times: a process that's time-consuming, costly, and often inaccurate. As a result, schedules are unreliable and budgets often overrun. Via Predictive Runtimes accurately predicts how long a bus trip will take on any road — even if a bus has never driven there before. BC Transit in British Columbia calls it a “crystal ball” that helps the agency save time and have confidence in schedules, cost estimates, and service quality forecasts.

• Ridership Modeling builds the future of transit: Redesigning a transit network is a high-stakes exercise where a mismatched plan can waste millions in taxpayer money. Via’s Ridership Modeling removes that risk by creating a virtual “digital twin” of a city, allowing planners to simulate proposed changes and accurately forecast how the public will respond. One of the largest transit agencies in the U.S. used the tool to refine its post-COVID fixed-route redesign in line with how people actually move, proposing changes to tackle long wait times and increase ridership in specific areas.