Jersey City’s new public transport service officially hit the road Tuesday.

Mayor Steve Fulop announced Tuesday the launch of the city’s on-demand transit system in partnership with ride-sharing company Via. Fulop hopes the new service will help eliminate some of the city’s parking problems and bring transportation to areas like Greenville with limited access to transit services.

“We don’t want those people to rely on the successes or failures of New Jersey Transit,” Fulop said about areas with limited access. “We want to make sure they have options that they can get to and from work and to and from family gatherings in a cost-effective, quick, and clean ride.”

For now, rides are $1 each. On March 21, the price goes up to $2.

Fulop said the city has been working on the “first in the state” program with Via for about a year, and he anticipates the ride service to build up to a total of 150,000 rides per month. Hoboken offers the HOP, a free bus service that has three routes.

The system will aim to provide more transit options in the northern and southern neighborhoods of the city in areas Fulop refers to as “transit deserts."

“Areas that don’t have great access to light rail, don’t have great access to the PATH system, or have to rely on buses that are often late or don’t show up or show up overcrowded," Fulop said. “This is an option that is cost-effective and will make those areas of the city more connected to the rest of the city.”

Via will operate 15 vehicles with at least 10% of the fleet being fully electric, with a focus on increasing the number of electric vehicles in the upcoming years. The fleet, which includes two handicap accessible vehicles, will grow as needed, Fulop said.

Fulop has not taken a ride yet, “but I certainly will. I was just excited when I passed one on the street. ... It’s great to be able to see the work that we do actually implemented and I took a video of it because I was excited.”

It’s not every day that u get the chance to launch entirely NEW transportation systems for residents. We did it w/@CitiBikeJC bike share/protected bike lanes (the most comprehensive system in NJ) + today we launch @ridewithvia - muni subsidized ride share for transit deserts pic.twitter.com/OgjE9V8mHa — Steven Fulop (@StevenFulop) February 25, 2020

Using the Via mobile app, or a phone line for users without access to a smartphone, passengers will select a pick-up and drop-off location and confirm their ride.

Once a ride is booked, the app will match you with other passengers heading in the same direction. The app will send users to a nearby corner, or “virtual bus stop” to meet and be picked up with an announced wait time.

Fulop said you can go from Greenville to the Newport mall or vice versa for the flat rate of $2. You can’t go from the Newport Mall to City Hall for the flat fee.

The city will be divided into two zone, the Central zone (Downtown and Journal Square) and the Outer zone (everywhere else). Trip from one point to another inside the Central zone will cost an extra 50 cents per mile.

William Springs, 50, a driver for the city’s new ride service, enjoyed his first day on the job, a far cry from the railroad job he previously held.

By 12:30 p.m., Springs said he had been all over the city, from Greenville to the Heights. While the new system is meant for multiple riders, he said most of the rides Tuesday were single passengers.

“I think it is a very good thing for the city and a good opportunity for people looking for employment,” Springs said. “It’s pretty cool man … it’s also reasonable in price.”

The service will operate Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Riders can request a wheelchair accessible vehicle on the app or on the phone.

“I think, longer term, some residents will make the decision that with a system like Via maybe they don’t need a car,” Fulop said. “They don’t need the headaches of parking issues, insurance issues and all of the maintenance issues for a car.

“Maybe somebody will make the decision and say I can get around for $2. It is cheaper to use Via and than (have) all the headaches associated with a car.”

$1 rides from a short half a mile or going all the way to downtown Jersey City. Might get rid of the second car? pic.twitter.com/czyeSnP6dX — 𝑪𝑨𝑷𝑰𝑻𝑨𝑳 𝒁 (@ZaidaGrunes) February 25, 2020

Via is currently available in New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C.

Update: According to an email from Via to a customer, rides beginning and ending in the outer zone start at $2, and the final price will vary based on distance. Also, rides have to start or end in the outer zone for the flat rate, meaning you can’t ride within the central zone.