DELAND, Fla. – A new ride service in Volusia County made its debut Tuesday with the goal of making traveling much easier and more affordable for residents and visitors.
“There are no hidden fees. It’s a two-dollar flat rate,” said Ralf Heseler, the county’s Transit Planning Manager.
The service, called VoRide, will pick riders up and drop them at their destination.
“Curb to curb. Take you wherever you need to go. It’s available six days a week,” said Heseler.
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Instead of waiting for the bus to come or being subjected to the buses’ fixed routes, now, the rider can control the pickup and destination points.
Heseler said it’s currently in a pilot phase for now, only running in DeLand.
“If you need to go further than that, we’ll say maybe to the east side of the county to go visit the beaches there, you’ll just pay one more fare to get on the actual bus,” he said.
The county developed a VoRide app for your cell phone where you can order the ride and set your pickup and drop off points. Then, you wait for your driver and get in. Since it is a rideshare service, you may have others in the car going to the same destination or you might be alone.
“We hope within several months we can expand down into the Deltona and Debary areas as well,” Heseler said.
Right now, there are seven vans in the pilot program, but Heseler said the county will add more as demand grows and they expand, with the hopes of doing so in 2024.
If you can’t download the app, you can still get a ride by calling or going to the website, by clicking here.
The service will operate from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays, officials said. The service will not operate on Sundays or holidays.
The county said it is offering discounts for senior citizens and children.
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