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

  • Virgin Trains and Uber partner on door-to-door journeys in the UK
    June 1, 2018
    Virgin Trains has partnered with Uber to help encourage more people travelling between London and Birmingham to leave their cars at home. The agreement between the companies allows passengers to request a taxi to the train station and on arrival at their destination. Passengers will be eligible for 50% off their first Uber journey up to a maximum value of £10. The service will initially be available for journeys between London Euston and Birmingham New Street. Riders buying a ticket on the Virgin Trains
    Read More
  • Mega trends will challenge transport technology
    June 5, 2015
    Jon Masters investigates some of the longer term trends that will shape transportation over the next 20 years. Business analysts and investors have already placed their bets on a future of technological smart mobility services. In December last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Uber, the on-demand taxi and lift share smartphone app and start-up business, had been valued at $41.2 billion which, as the Journal reported, is an incredible vote of confidence for a company only five years old.
    Read More
  • Vix Technology to implement smart ticketing solution in Edmonton Metropolitan region
    July 17, 2017
    US-based transport ticketing specialist Vix Technology has been selected by three city partners in the Edmonton metropolitan region, Canada, which includes the City of Edmonton, Strathcona County and City of St Albert, to implement a new regional smart fare solution (RSFS). The 15-year contract will enable the three cities to move from cash and paper-based ticketing systems to a common contactless fare payment system utilising an account-based back office. The RSFS initiative is made up of multiple componen
    Read More
  • Don’t look at the jigsaw pieces – see the whole puzzle, says CCTA
    February 19, 2024
    There are three main barriers to taking transport ideas from the pilot stage to real-life usage: incompatible technology, local control and limited funding. Tim Haile of California’s Contra Costa Transportation Authority has some thoughts on how to overcome them
    Read More

Highlighted Content