A $3.50 Rideshare Trip? It’s Possible in One Town Thanks to a City-Wide Initiative
A $3.50 Rideshare Trip? It’s Possible in One Town Thanks to a City-Wide Initiative
Colson ThayerThu, September 3, 2026 at 9:06 PM UTC
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A Sunnyvale Beam vehicle is parked outside of Sunnyvale, Calif. City Hall.Credit: City of Sunnyvale, Califfornia/Facebook -
Sunnyvale, Calif., launched an affordable on-demand rideshare service called Sunnyvale Beam with rides starting at $3.50
The service uses all-electric vehicles and offers discounted rates for seniors, youth, low-income riders, and people with disabilities
Funded by a $4.2 million state grant, the program aims to provide eco-friendly, accessible transportation across the city
Forget $30 surge pricing — commuters in one Bay Area city can now ride anywhere in town for just $3.50, thanks to a new citywide rideshare program.
On Sept. 1, Sunnyvale, Calif., celebrated the official community launch of Sunnyvale Beam, a new public, on-demand rideshare service offering trips throughout the city. The new service allows residents, workers, students and visitors to book a ride around Sunnyvale using Beam’s all-electric vehicles.
The service, which operates similarly to shared rides on Uber or Lyft, takes riders anywhere in the city, including two nearby locations outside of city limits: a local high school and a medical center.
A map featuring Sunnyvale Beam’s service areaCredit: City of Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale Beam operates Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. local time and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. It costs only $3.50 per ride and seniors (65+), people with disabilities, low-income riders and youth ages 13-18 can book a ride for just $1.75.
To promote the service, the city is currently offering users their first three rides free.
“It’s really important for people to try this service. We think people are really going to like it,” Jennifer Garnett, Sunnyvale’s chief public information officer told NBC Bay Area.
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The program is made possible by a partnership with Via Transportation, which operates the service. The city contracted with the company through a state grant that partially funds the program.
According to SFGate, the city received a $4.2 million grant from the California Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program to pay for half of the program’s funding. The city will contribute the other half over a five-year period. Drivers will be paid by the hour, rather than based on the number of rides or miles driven. SFGate reports the service’s website advertises driver pay rates of $23-$25 per hour.
Garnett tells the outlet wait times averaged about 10 minutes, but could get up to 15 when the service is in peak demand. Meanwhile, the Beam website suggests travelers schedule a ride up to 20 minutes in advance.
Roughly two weeks since its initial launch, Garnett says there have been about 65 trips per day from the approximately 2,000 users that have already downloaded the app.
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This isn’t the first city to offer rideshare alternatives with Via Transportation. The cities of Cupertino and Santa Clara, Calif., offer similar services through the company.
on People
Source: “AOL Money”
