Case Study: Go-Coach achieves up to 80% reduction in buses and 15-minute average waits with Via

Transitioning from fixed routes to a dynamic service helped Go-Coach provide a better experience to its riders, at a lower cost

Go-Coach, the public transport operator in Sevenoaks, UK, faced a 90% drop in ridership when COVID-19 struck while preparing to replace low-frequency fixed routes with demand-responsive transport. Partnering with Via to launch the Go2 on‑demand service, Go-Coach needed a faster, more cost‑efficient way to keep essential travel running and to maintain reliability across rural areas.

Via accelerated the Go2 launch by two months and provided its routing and booking technology (accessible via the Go2 app), enabling seven fixed lines to be replaced and cutting the number of buses used by up to 80%. Within a month Go2 delivered a 77% increase in utilisation, 46% fewer miles driven, a 62% reduction in driver hours, and reduced average wait times from one hour to 15 minutes; roughly 70% of surveyed car owners reported driving less and 22% of users were new to transit. Via’s platform also added multimodal integration and flexible route/zone controls to help Go‑Coach adapt service as demand changes.

Go-Coach

Austin Blackburn

Managing Director