driver

field manager

operations associate

support specialist

driver (independent contractor)

Via Transportation

DO NOT WORK FOR THIS COMPANY. 
When you first start for them, they are good. The commission being only 5% at first then increasing to 10%, but with advance notice.  Then the mask start to come off.  They increased their commission to 12.5% without any notification. The live support phone line is a pure joke. You call and get a recording that says if you have a passenger  please send them a text message.  So basically they are advocating, texting while driving. 

All communication with them is by text or email. The only way you can get a live person is to stop driving and go into their office. Which those people are as dumb as a bag of rocks. Their responses to your text or email are automated. They just add your name and mostly start off with "my apologies or sorry for the confusion". No one really bothers to read what you are saying. 

VIA offers 2 ways of earning your pay. Either in flex mode (which you are paid by the ride, so much per minute and mile) or blue mode (which you are paid by the hour). 

About a month ago rides to drivers began to be scarce. You could drive from one end of the city to the other without getting a single rider. I went  as long as 2 hours without picking up anyone. So then I decided to try out the blue mode. Rides now are non stop. I am averaging over 30 rides per day. They send the rides now so fast it is ridiculous.Going to the airport 2 to 3 times per day. I guess VIA wants us drivers to think that the riders were on vacation and decided to come back once we switched to blue mode. Drivers are now actually putting in more time, driving more miles and making less money driving in the blue mode. The pay rate in blue mode 20.00 per hour during peak times and 15.00 per hour during non peak hours.  if you drove a total of 3 hours during peak time.  If you don't do the 3 hours during peak time the pay is then 10.00 per hour. They are slick with this one, because peak hours are 6:30 am to 9:00 am (2.5 hours) and again at 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm (2.5 hours Monday thru Thursday) and 3 pm to 7pm on Fridays. They make sure you are out here driving until evening rush hour if you want to be paid the higher rate. Most people don't want to be stuck in the evening traffic going home so they wind up driving later. 

When driving in blue mode, they send you to these so called terminals. where you are to wait for your next ride.  Which are normally being parked in front of someone house or a residential area.I  try to not sit too long in these areas to avoid the people calling the police. With all the grocery stores and strip malls they send people to these type I'd areas.

Now they have come up with a different way of paying in blue mode. At night you get a promotion sent to you which gives you a different hourly rate each day. So basically everyday, they will be paying you a different hourly wage.  This is suppose to be their new way of paying. This also means that in order to make more money  you have to be out later at night, because the hourly rates from 4pm until 11:30pm are higher (15.00 to 22.00 an hour). 

VIA'a app is another issue also. It has no sound unless you are going thru your bluetooth or have a earpiece in. Without either of these you will be having to look at your phone constantly to see if you have a ride or if you need directions to locations. This was brought to their attention several months ago and still it has not been fixed.

Please don't let me get started on the app sending you down 1 way streets streets and expressway exits that have been closed for over 6 months. The pickups and dropoffs on Michigan Ave. etc. I could go on for hours writing. 

Before I go, let me say this they don't care anything about the drivers. Their only concern is about getting more riders. Pleasing the rider comes before the safety of any driver.

I worked in the Driver Support team for Via. During my time there (about a year), my job description went from providing support for the Driver Partners of Via to providing support by email and phone for multiple cities, training new employees, investigating driver partners accused of misconduct by riders, and occasionally firing driver partners for said accused misconduct. 
The management structure of Via isn't well thought out and is mostly made of original members of the team when the company could still be considered a start-up. I personally feel that the management aren't all qualified for the positions they are in mostly due to them having multiple issues with employees giving constructive criticism that was originally deemed "encouraged". One example of such, I was given a small promotion and a pay raise, but through communication with other employees I discovered the promotion was not due to performance but to add a buffer between the management and a few "troublesome" employees. 
The workplace culture is not bad, I enjoyed spending time at the office. We were allowed casual conversation among each other while we worked and the break room was always stocked with snacks and some simple food items (cup of noodles, bread for sandwiches, etc). The workplace was pretty relaxed most of the time. We would have busy times and would get seriously backed up with the opening of new cities, but nothing that wasn't handled with some support from other teams from other cities.
The most enjoyable part of the job was definitely my coworkers. We all got along well and had a very comfortable and enjoyable workplace. The hardest part of the job was dealing with management. As stated above, they were disorganized and under-experienced for their positions and mostly maintained their positions due to seniority and favoritism.

I am a driver partner with Via. Because of the toxic culture I unfortunately can't say where I drive or offer much detail. I will say this, do NOT drive for or work for Via in any capacity.  It hurts me to say that because there is so much potential with Via but I can't recommend Via to anyone because the truth is as a driver you mean absolutely nothing to Via.  Drivers are treated like they do not matter at all. You are nothing more than a body in a seat driving a vehicle.  Managers do not give a darn about you, they only care about their own advancement.  They say there is live support but good luck getting any answers.  Managers will not return calls or messages and they are always way too busy to give you more than a minute of their time. Managers are always in a rush to the next meeting or tell you they are late for a call or some other thing that is ALWAYS more important than you. Managers spend way more time launching new markets than they do attending to the markets they already have.  If you need the help of a manager, forget it, it won't happen.  They will never follow through.  They do NOT want drivers sharing info with each other and they definitely do NOT want drivers thinking for themselves.  Management wants drivers to be at odds with each other because it prevents them from organizing.  The way shifts are "scheduled" is more like a feeding frenzy or MMA cage match!  Drivers are pitted against each other trying to grab shifts and the anxiety is off the charts.  Then there is the matter of the Via app which has many problems.  Anyway, I could go on and on but you get the gist.  Too bad because there is so much potential with Via but ultimately Via is Via's own worst enemy.

Ok, so I was driving for Arlington, TX & from the time I started back in March 2021 of this year up until June 2021 they had plenty of hours and driving slots to choose from. At the end of June, driving slots were very limited & there were little to none to choose from. So management from Via sent out a text about the 3rd week in August, asking "if anyone wanted to drive in a different city" which was Denton/Lewisville, TX because they have more driving slots available. I figured that would be my best option although those cities were a lot further in commute for me (like 40-50 minutes). So go thru the orientation, then they transferred my info over to drive in Denton/Lewisville & nothing happens for like a month. I'm literally emailing back & forth all month in September of whats going on. Everytime I spoke with someone in Support, they would give me different reasons. One told me to resubmit my drivers license, did that, nothing. Another told me resubmit my insurance info, did that, nothing. So finally, I got information that I had to take another drug test (so basically do everything all over again). Did that, gave the results time to get in, emailed about 3 times then finally they got me back active on the platform. So get to working out there in far Denton for 2days & now my account is back to being not active & I don't even know why. They didn't tell me nothing just locked my account out. Now I'm back to emailing them & I'm getting no response. They need to get it together, I need to know if I need to find another job, because at this point I am so frustrated!!

Via is a cool place to work when you're in between jobs. It's not really a place you can advance or a place to make money. The pay is very low and the work is very repetitive and annoying. 

You end up being a punching bag for Via and their Driver Partners, many of which do not speak any English. The company also has a very obvious division amongst both of its offices. 

The workers of color work in the Queens office which experience the highest Driver Partner visits and the most harassment from Driver Partners because of Via's lack of compassion for them. 

The Manhattan office is run by an all white crew and they have to deal with the least amount of angry driver partners. The Manhattan employees drink beer on Fridays, play light music all day because its so quiet over there, and they even have a karaoke machine because they don't know what it means to actually work or what it means to not have a break from 10am-4pm.

Via also does not hire you directly but they hire you through a temp agency. New employees are now being paid more than what previous employees started off getting paid. This could be a cool place to work and grow if Via cared about its employees and Driver Partners but Via's mission is not to help any individual grow into a professional, instead it's mission is to make money. 

This job overall is a disappointment and definitely not what I expected.

Working for Via in Denton/Lewisville (Go Zone) is a nightmare. DCTA used Via to replace the bus service...BAD IDEA! The citizens of Denton hate Go Zone and the drivers. You pay hourly to rent the vehicles you drive to pick up passengers. You get charged $40 if you are ill or have an emergency and have to cancel your shift last minute (that's if you can even schedule a shift) The passengers can be aggressive and verbally abusive and the drivers are not allowed to carry any protection whatsoever. If you need driver support you can call but the call centers are over seas. The representative you speak with will try to address the issue but typically they will flag the event and send it over to the "Operations Team" which I believe to be non existent. If you need to contact someone in management for assistance you can send an email and then wait a few days for a response. Oh, and the best part of all, if you have an accident like someone rear ending you while you are at a dead stop waiting at a red light that couldn't possibly be your fault, they will suspend your account, not allowing you to work for DAYS while they conduct a thorough investigation, without income, taking food out of your family's mouth, and putting you at risk for eviction. 

Worked for this company for two years. First year was good , every week shifts were released and you can grab them and work when you want . Fast forward to 2023 they slashed shifts around 50% and kept hiring drivers. You're lucky if you're able to get the shifts you want. Usually have to settle for whatever you see. Your schedule is never consistent, your shifts are going to be all over the place and so will your earnings. This company operates from overseas and you can't get the same answer twice. "Manager" is located locally but is just as hard to reach if not harder than overseas level 1 customer service . The vans are dirty , never cleaned consistently. Vans are missing security cameras and barriers. They explicitly told me they would not replace missing camera's ( new drivers ripped them off cause they were tired of the cameras telling them off for being on their phone while driving ) , drivers have to protect themselves from potentially dangerous customers with their own camera and barrier. They will suspend and or fire you without notice and if they did it by error they will not compensate you.  There is NOTHING good about this job. What a shame cause it worked fine a year ago. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Riders were awful, they were never pleased with what they paid for. It's a  three - five dollar trip anywhere in Arlington. But they never planned ahead so it was always the drivers fault. They smelled up the vehicles and shat on out seats and vomited in them. I paid for my own supply's to clean and maintain the vehicle even with the routine cleaning the company did I spent hundreds on supply's and gadgets to make their experience as pleasant and quick as possible. I felt since I got rides before and after working for the company that I in the beginning though grateful was still lacking in how awesome and under appreciated the employees really are/were.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Riders, insurance must be gotten before actual job though there is a cheap insurance that's specific if your driving people in another's vehicle.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Really laid back and helpful. But at night be cautious of surroundings with people trying to steal or attack.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Pleasant and relaxed until the busy times.

The company DOES NOT provide ENOUGH driving time for all the drivers, there are no benefits at all and the pay rate is pretty low for South Florida market. You will be extremely lucky IF you can catch a shift for the next week. The shifts are only available for a maximum of two minutes on the app, making it impossible to choose the needed time for driving. The process of choosing shifts is EXTREMELY STRESSFUL and there is no sign that anything will ever change about it as the management don't care at all... Your complaints will be in vain and there is nobody who will do anything about it. If you are on shift picking up passengers at the moment when the shifts are released you will totally lose the chance of choosing shifts for the next week. Managers are nowhere to be found and there is no way you can get in contact with them. The only support you can get, if you get it is tru support and that's pretty slow too most of the times. Overall I call it a very shady company who does not care about the drivers needs at all when it comes about schedule. I wouldn't advise nobody to relay on it as a source of constant income.

Roughly 5-11 hours of pickup and dropoff of people to and from work in a company van.  How many people you get varies day to day depending on what day and driving zone you are in.  There isn't really much to learn from this job other than the protocol.  There is very little management involved unless there is a complication that happens during the shift.  The culture is very poor.  If you mind your own business and don't bother talking to the other drivers then there's no problem, but some of the drivers like to stir up drama.  The hardest part of the job is securing the shifts you want and having to react to the atrocious driving habits of the locals.  The best part of the job is the ratio of pay compared to how easy the job is, and how easy it is to take time off without consequence.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Driver 31 salaries reported	$22.92 per hour
Field manager 3 salaries reported	$60,000 per year
Operations associate 1 salary reported	$97,500 per year
Support specialist 3 salaries reported	$17.67 per hour
Driver (independent contractor) 5 salaries reported	$25.10 per hour

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