CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW)- For over 50 years, residents of Albemarle Buckingham, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson have been able to call to schedule an affordable pick-up with Jaunt. 

Starting this week, residents in Greene County can book a trip with Jaunt through a new mobile app. 

The Central Virginia-based transport company that serves 2800 square miles in the area launched the Ride Jaunt Mobile App in Greene County on Tuesday.  It allows patrons to book and manage their trips from their mobile device and schedule rides with more precise coordinate and shorter wait times. 

Mike Murphy, Jaunt’s CEO, wrote a grant last year that earned the company $1.5 million for five years of software to allow for reservations through a mobile app rather than waiting in line on a phone call.  The money received is intended for use in a six-month demonstration project. That demonstration will be the service in Greene.

“[The app] allows people to book a ride they would like to have in half an hour, as opposed to knowing next Tuesday you would like to go to the drug store,” Murphy told Cville Right Now.

While the app is available to download for anyone in the app store, it is designed, at present, with Greene County in mind only. Murphy says 92% of all Jaunt rides in the county go through Ruckersville and Stanardsville, making it an ideal area to test out the regional public transportation service’s newest offering.

People riding in the Greene County zone will have access to same-day service, but for now, rides from Greene County to other areas outside of the zone remain separate services for commuters and riders traveling long distances. 

However, the company plans to employ this strategy in serving the other parts of the area in which it operates.  

“Every ride come 2027 will be one that can be booked in the app,” said Murphy of the future development plans.  

He emphasized that mobile app service for other areas, when it is made available, will be accessed through the same app. 

According to a company release, this “county-first approach” allows Jaunt to deliver high-quality community-based service while keeping their operations sustainable.  Jaunt’s service remains free of charge, and normal phone-bank service to make reservations remains available.   

“What makes Jaunt special is the level of care we are providing to every rider,” Murphy said, “it’s public service, we know we are there to serve people who may not always be choice riders.”