They go by names like Jerk Chicken, Lizard, Scooby Doo and Young Blood. They hustle across Brooklyn and Queens seven days a week, some risking arrest, in order to serve tens of thousands of customers who rely on them.

They are dollar van drivers, and they ferry commuters largely neglected by New York City’s vast public transit system — people who live in neighborhoods beyond the subway’s reach, where buses are often late and Uber and Lyft are too expensive.

The dollar vans — mini school buses with tinted windows that roll through the streets blaring reggae or R&B — make up a loosely organized industry and many drivers operate illegally without the required city permits. The vans have at times drawn scrutiny because of collisions, and have been criticized for contributing to congestion by sometimes blocking bus lanes to pick up passengers.

The developers of a new app are hoping to generate more business for these modern jitneys and challenge the public bus system in the way that Uber has taken on the yellow taxi industry.