The project, a joint effort between the Camden Community Partnership and Via Transportation, offers first-mile/last-mile travel within city limits for $2 per trip. The service is free until July 17.
By Matt Skoufalos | July 13, 2023
![Low-Cost, On-Demand Rideshare Service to Make Traveling Across the City Easy with $2 Fares 1 Ribbon cutting at the launch of the Camden Loop](https://www.njpen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Ribbon-cutting-at-the-launch-of-the-Camden-Loop.jpg)
Ribbon-cutting to launch Camden Loop. Source: Matt Skoufalos.
Camden City residents now have access to a new, affordable option for getting around town.
The Camden Loop, an on-demand, microtransit service created by the Camden Community Partnership and Via Transportation, and seeded with money from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is intended to help low-income residents meet their transportation needs.
By offering a flexible first and last mile, shared travel option within the city, Camden Loop coordinators believe the service will eliminate barriers to access for residents to work, travel to the region , and other needs.
Camden Community Partnership President and CEO Dana Redd described the Camden Loop as a project “focused on equity” and “addressing the social determinants of health” by offering affordable mass transit connections, shopping, and work.
The Camden Loop operates 6 am to 8 pm Monday through Friday, with service everywhere within the city, as well as to the NJ Transit Station at the Garden State Pavilion in Cherry Hill.
Users can book through the Camden Loop smartphone app, or by calling 856-408-1699. Rides are free until July 17, and $2 each after that. Redd said all fare revenue will be reinvested in the program to expand it.
![Low-Cost, On-Demand Rideshare Service to Make Traveling Across the City Easy with $2 Fares 2 Eric Gardiner Via Director of East Coast Partnerships](https://www.njpen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Eric-Gardiner-Via-Director-of-East-Coast-Partnerships.jpg)
Eric Gardiner, By Director of East Coast Partnerships. Source: Matt Skoufalos.
Camden Loop launched in June with a $2 million grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), supplemented by an additional $4.2 million in the state’s 2023 budget.
Redd said the dollar should extend its operations for several years to come.
The vehicle fleet consists of Honda Odyssey and Chrysler Pacifica minivans, both of which are wheelchair accessible.
Camden Loop riders are picked up at a “virtual bus stop” within a block of their location. Those who do not have access to a bank card or smartphone can buy cars with vouchers as well as bundles.
Eric Gardiner, Director of East Coast Partnerships for Via, said the transit technology company has formed microgrid partnerships like the Camden Loop in 600 communities around the world. Among its most successful implementations, Via Jersey City has logged 1 million rides since January 2020.
In comparison, the nine-mile Camden Loop service has completed 3,500 rides at an average utilization rate of 5 riders per vehicle hour since June, Gardiner said.
“We want to create a public transportation system that is as easy and comfortable as riding in a car and as cheap as riding a bus,” he said. “We think it will change the way residents and visitors interact with their community.”
Council President Angel Fuentes praised Camden Loop for hiring Camden residents — 19 of its 24 workers are local, and wages start at $22 an hour — as well as advertising the service in English and Spanish, with Vietnamese translation planned.
![Low-Cost, On-Demand Rideshare Service to Make Traveling Across the City Easy with $2 Fares 3 Camden Loop driver Loticia Ferguson](https://www.njpen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Camden-Loop-driver-Loticia-Ferguson.jpg)
Camden Loop driver Loticia Ferguson. Source: Matt Skoufalos.
“This ensures that language is not a barrier to accessibility,” Fuentes said.
Loticia Ferguson of North Camden has been driving with the Camden Loop since the program launched.
“The pay is good,” said Ferguson; “customers are good.
“I love customer service and taking care of people,” she said.
Ferguson said her fares “do everything,” with the service, including going to doctor’s appointments, the grocery store, and the laundromat.
Camden City Mayor Vic Carstarphen said the Camden Loop demonstrates his administration’s commitment to building a strong workforce, supporting resident employment, and improving the city’s overall quality of life.
“It’s a cheap, reliable, convenient way to get to work,” Carstarphen said.