Works OK with public transit, annoying details – Via — smarter mobility. Review

In King County / Seattle, Via uses the Orca card, and works with employer paid Orca cards. This effectively makes Via free for me, so Via wins hands-down on price. There’s a few details though that are really frustrating. The vans are all-black, with blacked-out windows in the heat of summer and drivers never turn AC on, the van side windows don’t open, and drivers rarely if ever open the front windows. A <5m ride and you’re soaking in sweat. And if you’re sharing a ride, those blacked-out windows prevent you from seeing into the vehicle so you can’t tell which seats are occupied. Other passengers tend to get upset if you open their door because they can see you but you can’t see them. They need to ditch tinted windows and turn on AC by default and maybe use white vans instead of black ones so they heat up less.
Review by Tiny Brain on Via — smarter mobility..