Uber app now includes US public transit agencies

The ride-hailing app's users are able to buy journey tickets in Ohio and Kentucky
By Adam Hill July 17, 2020 Read time: 2 mins
Uber: 'People who wouldn’t regularly consider transit will realise how easy and affordable it can be'

Uber customers can now use the ride-hailing firm's app to buy public transport tickets, plan journeys and ride with 13 transit agencies in Ohio and Kentucky.

Uber Transit Ticketing uses EZfare and is a collaboration with payment specialist Masabi and NeoRide, a collective of 15 transit systems whose raison d'etre is the development and promotion of US regional public transportation services.
 
After a rider enters a destination in the Uber app they see a 'Transit' option, which will give journey planning information, including real-time transit data and directions.

“With a public transit option now appearing in the Uber app, I hope people who wouldn’t regularly consider transit will realise how easy and affordable it can be,” said Ben Capelle, president of NeoRide and CEO of Laketran.     
 
“The partnership with Uber makes transit a more visible and accessible option by highlighting regional transit systems that Uber users may not know exist."

Tickets use visual and barcode validation, so riders can go contactless on public transport - and they will cost the same as existing options.
 
The system uses Masabi’s Justride software development kit. Company CEO Brian Zanghi said it "shows how this model can be deployed successfully on a regional multi-agency basis". 
 
The full list of agencies whose fares are - or will soon be - available on the Uber app are:

•    Cincinnati Bell Connector (Cincinnati Streetcar)
•    Laketran (Lake County)
•    Lancaster-Fairfield Transit
•    MCPT (Medina County)
•    METRO RTA (Summit County) 
•    PARTA (Portage County)
•    Sandusky Transit (Erie County)
•    SARTA (Stark County)
•    TARTA (Lucas County)
•    WRTA (Mahoning County)
•    BCRTA (Butler County) 
•    SORTA (Hamilton County)
•    TANK (Northern Kentucky)
 
Separately, in Canada, Justride is also being employed in Masabi's My Fare, a contactless mobile ticketing app for Calgary Transit that lets passengers buy tickets and passes using their smartphones.

As part of the project, over 1,000 new validation devices have been installed across the bus network covering 155 routes. 

Passengers scan their dynamic and encrypted mobile passes on the devices when boarding the bus, with an audible beep and a coloured screen identifying the ticket as valid for use.

Mass Transit & MaaS

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Masabi and DPTI trial Justride in Southern Australia
    November 14, 2017
    Masabi will launch a two month feasibility trial of its smartphone-based payments platform Justride with the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) in South Australia. The test will be conducted on 50 DPTI employees on Adelaide city trams and SouthLink operated Hills and Outer South Express bus services. In addition, Mastercard is providing its gateway services to facilitate test payments linked to South Australia’s acquirer, Commonwealth Bank of Australia. As part of the trial, Masabi
    Read More
  • Chicago Transit Authority’s Ventra mobile app hits two million downloads
    August 22, 2017
    Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Ventra mobile app, implemented by Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS, and also used by suburban bus operator Pace and commuter rail system Metra, has reached a milestone with a download of more than two million and was used to purchase nearly US$250 million in fares. The Ventra app, developed and launched by Cubic, CTA and its transit partners in November 2015, is a free, regional transit application in the US that allows customers to plan, manage and pay for journeys ac
    Read More
  • Tech advances create MaaS without compromise
    August 29, 2019
    Advances in technology make it possible for authorities to compile and maintain MaaS platforms cheaply - and without relinquishing control to third parties. Colin Sowman finds out more… It is increasingly clear that local authorities’ reluctance to implement Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is based on politics and finance. However, the technology underpinning MaaS is evolving rapidly and is presenting new solutions. At its heart, the political resistance comes down to the divide between the ethos of public
    Read More
  • Moovel launches transit benefit system
    April 10, 2018
    Portland-based Moovel will launch a system that intends to increase transit ridership and streamline ticketing by allowing riders to access benefits and reduced fares from their mobile devices. Called FareShare, the mobile app and online system aim to provide passengers with a better travel experience and reduce operational costs for transit agencies by removing the distribution and tracking of physical transit passes. The solution will be available to universities, employers and other organisations that
    Read More

Highlighted Content