With flexible services we mean those complementary services to mass transport that insert elements of flexibility in the transport offer in space and time. In space, going to fit into the territories and relationships (for example first-last mile, or door-to-door) not served by the traditional offer, over time going to integrate the existing offer at times in which the services of fixed schedules and routes are costly and ineffective at meeting demand.

Traditional public transport operates within fixed routes, stops, and timetables while flexible DRT service usually doesn’t use the same route, stops or even timetable. These characteristics make the DRT service more adequate in answering users’ mobility needs, not only in the areas with low demand but also during the periods with low demand (weekends, holidays, and nights).

There are four main operational concepts of DRT service:

(1) route deviation with fixed stops
(2) point deviation with fixed stops
(3) destination demand-responsive transport
(4) pure demand-responsive transport.

Considering the market, there are today 870 projects surveyed at a global level. Around one third is in Europe, and 70 per cent can be conducted to the public transport traditional use case, but other use cases are emerging such as paratransit and some B2B opportunities.

Most of these projects are on a small scale and engage less that 5 vehicles per program, but in the last years bigger projects have been developed specially in Germany, UK and France, involving in some cases over 100 vehicles.

prof. Gabriele Grea, researcher, and lecturer at TU Berlin and Bocconi University.

DRT solutions, a real push for public transport’ offer

Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) services are frequently identified as a useful solution to improve the connectivity of areas with low demand and population density thanks to the greater flexibility compared to scheduled local public transport services.

But DRT potential includes a range of applications such as:

• Night/off peak services in urban areas;
• Feeders for the public transport core network in peripheral areas;
• B2B solutions for companies and big demand generators/attractors;
• Non Emergency Medical Transportation;
• Leasure and tourism oriented services;

And more in general, DRT offers the possibility to use public transport resources more efficiently, to reach new potential demand not satisfied by traditional transport options.

A look at the market of DRT applications

Considering the market, there are today 870 projects surveyed at a global level. Around one third is in Europe, and 70 per cent can be conducted to the public transport traditional use case, but other use cases are emerging such as paratransit and some B2B opportunities.

Most of these projects are on a small scale and engage less that 5 vehicles per program, but in the last years bigger projects have been developed specially in Germany, UK and France, involving in some cases over 100 vehicles.

Governance, operations, business case of DRT: challenges!

DRT services are often developed as stand-alone solutions to specific needs, the potential of scalable strategies and solutions is widely underestimate, as their integration in local transport networks.

In order to make DRT become a functional and integral part of regional mobility networks, enhancing accessibility for citizens, territorial cohesion and social inclusion, we have to look both at the governance, operational and business aspects.

Concerning governance approaches, in many countries the development of a regulatory framework defining their fields of applicability and supporting their development, also through systematic integration into regional, urban and metropolitan mobility plans (PRT, SUMP), is missing or incomplete. A systematic integration into regional and urban mobility plans would be highly beneficial in order to make DRT more central into networks.

One of the objectives of Dream_peace project, launched earlier this year and lasting for two years, covering six regions in five European countries, is to promote the integration of DRT into SUMP methodology in order to support the innovative aspects of DRT concepts into regional mobility networks.

Operationally, the integration with public transport, but also with other services with different degrees of flexibility (e.g. taxi, pooling and other informal services) is the key to modulate on-demand services around the needs of communities and territories with diverse characteristics and objectives, from fulfilling connectivity needs to primary networks, to guaranteeing accessibility to remote areas and vulnerable users groups.

And last but not least, under the business sustainability point of view, it’s fundamental to promote synergies between different policy sectors, better segment demand and tariffs, promote new collaborative business models engaging different stakeholders where appropriate.

The post What are flexible services, what is DRT? A look at definitions, market, challenges of on-demand transportation appeared first on Sustainable Bus.

A mobility solution will be created in the city using a modern on-demand transport service that supplements the classic public bus and rail transport system with a new product and represents an attractive alternative to private cars, partners say.

The ALIKE project will test a system with autonomous shuttles (SAE Level 4) that can be easily booked using an app and that picks up passengers and takes them to their destination. The system meets strict safety requirements and is also intended to be scalable across regions, making it also suitable for rural areas. The aim of the pilot project is also to test the acceptance of autonomous driving services in practice.

Holon Mover and Volkswagen ID.Buzz AD will be the first two vehicles to be tested.

The consortium brings together six project partners: public transport operator HOCHBAHN as consortium leader; the on-demand service provider MOIA; vehicle manufacturers HOLON and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (the latter backs MOIA service); as well as the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) as research partner and the Hamburg Authority for Transport and Mobility Change (BVM).

Autonomous ridepooling is the missing piece of the puzzle between traditional public transport and the individual mobility needs of citizens. With it, we are creating a completely new pillar of public transport, an attractive alternative to private cars, and an essential prerequisite for being able to run the Hamburg-Takt and offer everyone in Hamburg a public transport service within five minutes. As a result, the public transport of the future will be even more convenient, sustainable and efficient.

Anjes Tjarks, Hamburg’s Senator for Transport and Mobility Transition

€26 million of federal funding for ALIKE project in Hamburg

The Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport is funding the project with €26 million. The Federal Minister of Transport Dr. Volker Wissing presented the funding decision to the project consortium in the presence of Hamburg’s Senator for Transport and Mobility Change Dr. Anjes Tjarks.

The consortium partners will initially set up an overall system for booking and using up to 20 autonomously driving vehicles in public transport in Hamburg. Vehicles from different manufacturers will be integrated into an on-demand service to test them in operation and make them digitally bookable for users via apps. The project results are expected to lay the foundation for future commercial deployment and scaling of ridepooling services, partners say.

In the coming weeks, the main contents of the project will be defined on the basis of the preliminary work by the consortium partners. The project is scheduled to run for three years and is divided into three main phases. The preparation phase includes detailed project planning and software development. In the integration phase, the vehicles will be linked to the operating software. In addition, permits will be obtained for vehicles and the operating area, for example, in accordance with the new legislation on autonomous driving. The autonomous ridepooling service is scheduled to start in 2025, when passengers will be able to ride in the shuttles.

MOIA, a success story in ridepooling

The operations and ridepooling software is provided by MOIA. The company has been operating Europe’s largest all-electric ridepooling service with drivers in Hamburg since 2019 and has extensive experience in setting up and operating on-demand transport. HOCHBAHN is Germany’s second-largest public transportion company and was responsible for the HEAT (Hamburg Electric Autonomous Transportation) research and development project until 2020/21, in which experience was gained for the first time in the operation of an autonomous shuttle in regular service in Hamburg.

ALIKE brings together very different project partners with their respective strengths. For the first time, transport companies, ridepooling providers, vehicle manufacturers and experts from science and politics are working together to advance the topic of autonomous driving. The goal is a mobility solution that can be expanded and transferred to other cities and regions. There’s no comparable model anywhere in the world for such a holistic system

Henrik Falk, CEO of HOCHBAHN: 

First vehicles to be deployed: Benteler Holon and Volkswagen ID. Buzz AD

ALIKE will enter service with two models of fully electric autonomous driving shuttles. One shuttle comes from the Benteler subsidiary Holon and was first presented at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January of this year. The Holon Mover is one of the first built to automotive standards and offers maximum safety and comfort for up to 15 passengers. It can be used barrier-free thanks to an automated ramp, secured wheelchair space, and auditory and visual assistance for passengers.

The second vehicle is the ID. Buzz AD from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. It has already successfully completed the first tests on public roads and will be Volkswagen’s first autonomous production vehicle. The ID. Buzz AD offers the ideal size for operation in congested areas – compact, maneuverable, and with optimal use of space.

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology involved in the project

The Institut für Verkehrswesen (ifV – Institute of Transportation) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has proven expertise in accompanying research on ridepooling and will provide scientific support.

The IfV at KIT deals with all aspects of mobility, ranging from overall societal planning concepts to technical developments in transport. The IfV uses an interdisciplinary concept to pursue the goal of organizing traffic efficiently and sustainably, researching the effects of new mobility systems on users, and ensuring system integration. The Transport and Mobility Change Authority (BVM) as another consortium partner provides the political connection and plays an essential role in the approval process. The ALIKE project plans to achieve and implement SAE automation level 4 (highly automated driving).

The project will also research the social acceptance of autonomous driving in public transport and model users’ mobility behavior. Among other things, extensive information offerings and surveys are planned for this purpose. The results will then be used in modeling to evaluate the effects of autonomous service based on various scenarios. Another associate partner is DRM Datenraum Mobilität GmbH. The company will help the consortium define a suitable use case for a European Mobility Data Space to strengthen data sharing.

Autonomous driving in Hamburg’s future

Volker Wissing, Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport commented: “I want people to continue to have freedom of choice when it comes to mobility in the future. Traffic in Germany will increase, which is all the more reason why we need new, smart forms of mobility that help us use our infrastructure efficiently. Autonomous driving can be a key to relieving congestion on the roads in major cities while ensuring mobility right up to the front door. The autonomous on-demand shuttle comes exactly when I need it and it takes me directly to my destination. The fully digital booking system makes it easy to book, trips can be combined, travel and costs are saved. I am delighted that in Hamburg we have found a courageous partner who is open to innovation in order to establish autonomous driving in Germany. I am convinced that this good idea will be accepted by the people of Hamburg and will find many imitators.”

Anjes Tjarks, Hamburg’s Senator for Transport and Mobility Transition: “With this broad alliance for autonomous driving, we are implementing another point of the joint agreement with the federal government, with which we want to develop Hamburg into a model for mobility. Autonomous ridepooling is the missing piece of the puzzle between traditional public transport and the individual mobility needs of citizens. With it, we are creating a completely new pillar of public transport, an attractive alternative to private cars, and an essential prerequisite for being able to run the Hamburg-Takt and offer everyone in Hamburg a public transport service within five minutes. As a result, the public transport of the future will be even more convenient, sustainable and efficient. In keeping with the very successful Deutschland Ticket, autonomous vehicles will help us develop a corresponding Germany-wide offer in the future. My thanks go to Federal Minister Wissing for his support in advancing and further shaping the mobility of the future for all of Germany in the Hamburg region.”

Henrik Falk, CEO of HOCHBAHN: “ALIKE brings together very different project partners with their respective strengths. For the first time, transport companies, ridepooling providers, vehicle manufacturers and experts from science and politics are working together to advance the topic of autonomous driving. The goal is a mobility solution that can be expanded and transferred to other cities and regions. There’s no comparable model anywhere in the world for such a holistic system.”

Sascha Meyer, CEO MOIA: “In the ALIKE project, MOIA seamlessly integrates an autonomous fleet with two operators and different vehicles into a ridepooling offering. It’s precisely this collaboration between public and private companies that makes the project unique. MOIA’s ridepooling system is the cornerstone of the project that joins the providers’ components together into an attractive offering. In the future, people in Hamburg will be able to order autonomous mobility via both the MOIA and hvv switch apps. With this project, we are putting into practise our strategic goal of an open mobility platform for shared autonomous transport.”

Henning von Watzdorf, CEO HOLON: “All ALIKE members are united by a single goal: to change mobility. With our HOLON Mover, we’re providing an important building block for this. The vehicle will make mobility safer, more sustainable and more inclusive. It’s not designed for drivers but exclusively for passengers. In this way, we’re creating a completely new mobility experience – and we’re starting here in Hamburg.”

Christian Senger, Member of the Board of Management for Autonomous Driving Development at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles: “With the production of autonomous and fully electric shuttles, we’re making a decisive contribution to the ALIKE project. The VW ID. Buzz AD offers high-volume technology, a self-driving system from Mobileye, and the ideal size for use in major cities such as Hamburg. Our vehicles use cameras, radars and lidars, as well as high-performance computers. On this basis, 360° environment recognition superior to human perception is created for safe driving commands. The vehicles have already been successfully tested under real conditions in Munich and Austin. Now we are bringing the ID. Buzz AD to Hamburg. We are delighted to have Federal Minister of Transport Dr. Volker Wissing as our first guest for an autonomous ride in Hamburg today.”

The post 10,000 autonomous electric shuttles in Hamburg by 2030? It’s the goal of the government-backed project ALIKE appeared first on Sustainable Bus.

These services represent roughly 75% of CleverShuttle’s business and include several of the most ambitious and successful on-demand projects in Germany, Via stresses. 

Via takes over on-demand transit services in Germany

Beginning November 1, Via will take over as the technology and operations provider for six on-demand transport services in the Rhein-Main Verkehrsverbund (RMV) region (in the Offenbach district, Darmstadt, Hanau, Frankfurt, Taunusstein, and the county of Darmstadt-Dieburg) as well as services in Essen, Dresden, Kassel, and Leverkusen. “Facing an extremely tight deadline due to Clevershuttle’s insolvency, Via was able to work closely with its new partners to transition all 10 services simultaneously and on time, ensuring seamless operations and continued employment for drivers and operational staff”, still the company says.

The VDV estimates that the on-demand sector in Germany grew by 300% between 2018 and 2022, with well over 80 services in operation today. And the need for a traffic transition has never been clearer: the transport sector contributes 21.3% of all greenhouse gas emissions, and rural areas in particular suffer from acute car dependency given the lack of reliable access to public transportation.

CleverShuttle is insolvent, Via takes over

Chris Snyder, CEO of Via Europe: “CleverShuttle has played an important role in establishing the value of on-demand mobility in Germany, and we are committed to ensuring the continued success of their projects. We are pleased  to bring our extensive operational expertise and proven software solution to support our new partners at a time when on-demand public transport is increasingly recognized as a key element in the transition to a more efficient, sustainable, and equitable transportation landscape.”

Prof. Knut Ringat, RMV managing director: “Together with our new partner Via, we will continue the success story of the on-demand project in RMV. The change of operator does not change the offer, the high quality, and the goal of further advancing on-demand mobility as a crucial component for the mobility transition. We would like to thank CleverShuttle for the good cooperation so far, and are pleased that we were able to win Via, a globally successful operator of public on-demand offerings with more than 650 projects worldwide, for our project. The fact that Via will not only take over offerings from RMV, but also four other on-demand services in Germany from CleverShuttle, impressively shows Via’s expertise.”

Dr. Olaf Hornfeck, board member of Kasseler Verkehrs-Gesellschaft AG: “Our Schaddel is well received in Kassel and is becoming increasingly popular. We look forward to working with Via in the future. The preparations for the change of operator have already shown that we are working with an experienced partner and can thus jointly establish on-demand transport as a modern form of mobility.”

Marc Kretowski, Managing Director of wupsi: “We are very happy to have found a partner in Via who will completely take over the current offering so that our customers can continue to use our on-demand service easily, flexibly, and individually in the future.”

The post Due to CleverShuttle’s insolvency, Via takes over 10 on-demand public transport services in Germany appeared first on Sustainable Bus.

The launch in Trieste aims to increase the use of sustainable mobility choices in the Italian city. In Italy, Arriva is one of the leading operators of buses, with a fleet of over 2,500 vehicles.

Arriva launches Glimble (developed with Moovit) in Trieste

Developed in partnership with Moovit, Glimble “is designed with pan-European potential to enable more accessible and sustainable choices, changing the way that people travel, especially in cities”, Arriva says.

Trieste will be the first city in Italy to be served by Glimble, with wider roll-out to other cities also being considered for the future.

Sian Leydon, Arriva Group Managing Director for Mainland Europe, said: “In a world where everyone is constantly on the move and connection and accessibility is essential, we need to be adaptable and nimble to passenger needs, while also encouraging more sustainable choices. Our Glimble brand started its Arriva journey in the Netherlands, but we always knew it had scalability and pan-European potential, so the launch in Italy is a very exciting development for us as a leading European mobility provider. We will continue to explore other opportunities in MaaS where Data laws allow us to do so.”

Angelo Costa, Managing Director of Arriva in Italy, added: “A platform like Glimble is essential to encourage the use of local public transport, with all its positive effects in terms of sustainability and modal shift away from cars. We want to encourage people to view buses, bikes and other modes of transport as a single network rather than separate services”.

The post Arriva MaaS platform Glimble launched in Trieste. Italy follows NL as second market appeared first on Sustainable Bus.

Fairtiq chosen for digitalization of transport payment in Denmark

In April, Danish Rejsekort & Rejseplan A/S (RKRP) had previously signed a crucial framework agreement with Fairtiq and four other companies. These five companies were selected from a pool of 21 bidders, and they are the only ones eligible to participate in tenders for the project, which has a maximum worth of 67 million euros over eight years.

This newly established agreement goes further by narrowing down both the scope of application and the participant group, Fairtiq explains. Out of 11 applications, Fairtiq is one of only four providers chosen.

Alongside Fairtiq, only one other provider was allowed to sign both the first and second framework agreements. The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) agreement, with a budget of up to 53 million euros, will play a pivotal role in rolling out a fully digital national solution that enables seamless use of buses, trains, metros, and light rail throughout Denmark via a dedicated app. Fairtiq’s technology is already implemented in many European regions.

Gian-Mattia Schucan, founder and CO-CEO of Fairtiq, states: “The new framework agreement proves once again how strongly Fairtiq is positioned when it comes to digitalising public transport ticketing and making it easier for everyone”.

The post Fairtiq selected as key player in Denmark’s public transport payment digitalization appeared first on Sustainable Bus.

Bus Miccolis, an operator that provides services in various regions of southern Italy, has chosen the latest generation ticketing system for the capital of Basilicata. The new Mobility Ticket app increases the accessibility of the Bus Miccolis mobility service by allowing users to purchase tickets anytime, anywhere and always have them at their fingertips…with a simple click.

Bus Miccolis users can pre-purchase tickets for future use and activate them when they need to travel, or purchase a ticket on the same day of travel. Just before boarding the bus or at the escalator entrance, passengers simply activate their tickets or passes and show them already activated.

A month ago, at the UITP Global Public Transport Summit in Barcelona (June 4-7), we had the opportunity to meet and chat with Aurelio Impellizzeri, Business Development and Marketing Executive at Masabi who told us about the importance of this step: “We are very proud to have launched this implementation in Potenza together with Miccolis, which has a network of services in the South. We started with mobile ticketing. And how’s that going? “Great!”

Fundamental, says Impellizzeri, is the support with Municipia: “We take care of ticketing – all cloud native – for public transport, while Municipia, which is part of the large Engineering family, has all the complementary know-how needed, so much so that it manages about a thousand municipalities in Italy, working alongside them on the path of digital transformation, starting with mobility and the transport system”.

From Basilicata to Galicia and the Valencian Community. Yes because Masabi, Impellizzeri finally explains, recently won the tender for the entire Galicia region-“a very important project because it is multimodal”-and, finally, in Valencia it is carrying out integration with pre-existing validators.”

The post Masabi (and Municipia) smart ticketing finally lands in Italy appeared first on Sustainable Bus.

Via customers can now complement their dedicated fleets with additional vehicles and drivers from the Uber network.

Via and Uber, a deal to enhance microtransit for agencies

Interestingly enough, in 2019 Via’s Co-COO Alex Lavoie was asked by Medill Reports Chicago: “How do you aim to compete in the crowded marketplace against Uber and Lyft?”, and gave the following answer: “We are building solutions that we think are closer to providing dynamically routed [on-demand and data responsive] public transit than to a ride-hail service. More of our business is focused on providing services on behalf of the cities. We feel quite excited about the growth in that space. So, we think there’s a pretty big differentiator between what we’re doing and what Uber and Lyft are doing. We’re seeing them less and less as our direct competitors as the public part of our business becomes increasingly our main growth avenue”.

This partnership offers transformative opportunities for transit agencies, enabling them to address challenges such as meeting paratransit demand, enhancing microtransit capacity during peak hours, and providing service to off-hours or remote destinations.

Via optimizes existing dedicated fleets and resources while incorporating non-dedicated service providers like Uber. The integration is facilitated by Via’s purpose-built routing and dispatching algorithm, ViaAlgo. Via’s Operations Center allows agencies to send trips to Uber without workflow changes. Compliance with regulatory requirements is managed by Via.

The post Via and Uber sign partnership: Uber drivers will be integrated into Via-powered transportation offer appeared first on Sustainable Bus.

In partnership with SMART, TRC is offering accessible on-demand service and transit connections through SMART Connect, providing first-and-last-mile solutions for residents in the North Bay. The service will initially launch at the Sonoma County Airport Station, with potential expansion to other stations in the future.

TRC SMART Connect service in Sonoma County

The launch marks the commencement of a five-year contract announced by TRC in March 2023. Notable attendees at the ribbon-cutting ceremony included California Senate Majority Leader Mike McGuire, SMART Board Chair Eric Lucan, SMART Board Vice Chair Melanie Bagby, SMART General Manager Eddy Cumins, and Sonoma County Airport Manager Jon Stout.

SMART, which serves Marin and Sonoma counties in the North Bay, operates a 45-mile passenger rail system with nearly 500,000 annual passenger trips. The system includes stations in Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Petaluma, Novato, San Rafael, and Larkspur.

SMART’s deployment of TRC’s Pingo suite includes the Ride Pingo app for riders, the Drive Pingo app for drivers, and the cloud-based Pingo Dashboard for fleet operators. Notable features of the service include Transit Connect, which utilizes real-time data to ensure seamless transit connections for riders, and Pingo Journey, an in-app tool that allows users to plan end-to-end multimodal journeys and hail on-demand transit rides, all within a single app.

James Cox, Chief Executive Officer of TRC, states: “Today’s celebration marks the launch of groundbreaking multimodal transit powered by SMART, addressing the local demand for improved reliability, flexibility, and convenience in transit. It also represents an innovative step forward in California’s transportation landscape, connecting urban and rural communities and promoting equity and accessibility.”

Eric Lucan, Chair of the SMART Board of Directors, says: “We are thrilled to welcome passengers aboard SMART Connect and provide a seamless and efficient train-to-airport connection. Additionally, this innovative microtransit service will reduce car trips and support local employers by facilitating transportation for people traveling to and from this bustling business corridor.”

The post The Routing Company launches SMART Connect in Sonoma County with Ride Pingo on-demand transit service appeared first on Sustainable Bus.

Autoguidovie has recently awarded a tender for as many as 120 electric buses: they’ll be provided by Iveco Bus.

Via and Autoguidovie

When a passenger books a ride through the app, Via’s software matches other passengers heading in the same direction to the same vehicle, creating shared rides that can easily connect to existing bus and train lines. The app will be available starting in June for both Android and iOS.

Via’s MIOBUS booking app will make travel times faster, allow for the transportation of more people, create more efficient routes, and provide simple directions for drivers. Via’s software is already used in over 600 cities worldwide, including 250 cities in Europe.

“The partnership with Via helps fuel the mobility idea at the core of Autoguidovie’s strategy, which, through the introduction of a series of innovations, aims to interpret the transportation needs of the present time and anticipate those of the near future,” said Stefano Rossi, CEO of Autoguidovie. “Technology, an integral part of all our business systems for several years now, is used to improve the travel experience and make transportation services more efficient and accessible so that they can immediately replace private transport not only for a significant ‘convenience’ in terms of environmental sustainability but also considering the high frequency of trips, their flexibility, and the high level of comfort offered. The new software will create intelligent transport solutions, responding promptly to customer needs and increasing the level of quality of the connections and services provided by Autoguidovie.”

“Via is thrilled to have been chosen as the new on-demand transport software provider for Autoguidovie: together, we will work to create a new frontier of technology-enabled public mobility in Italy,” said Chris Snyder, CEO of Via Europe. “Our companies both share a vision of expanding access to efficient and flexible transport for passengers of all needs, and we look forward to seeing how our software will help Autoguidovie achieve this across the country.”

The post Via to launch on-demand services in Italy with Autoguidovie appeared first on Sustainable Bus.

The Uber Transit Ticketing feature, powered by Masabi’s Ticketing SDK, will allow riders in San Antonio and Bexar County to purchase tickets and ride public transportation directly from within the Uber app.

Via, Uber and Masabi partnership

Once riders select their desired route, they can purchase transit passes using their existing payment profile. The tickets will be stored in the “Transit Tickets” section of the Uber app, and users can activate them when boarding the bus, even if they are offline. Riders can simply scan their passes using the onboard validation devices.

This partnership between VIA Metropolitan Transit and Uber is intended to offer more flexible fare payment options to Via’s customers for trips on any Via service, including bus, van, and Via Link trips. It will also make mobile ticketing instantly available to an already established user base, providing a seamless and convenient experience for transferring to or riding public transit. Uber represents an additional sales channel for VIA, next to VIA’s own goMobile+ app, making the ticketing experience for its passengers easy and accessible.

Masabi’s Ticketing SDK made it possible to add this functionality in the Uber app, creating a seamless passenger experience that combines public transit and shared mobility services. Masabi’s Justride SDK integration combines secure ticketing functionality with existing apps.

Uber Transit in Texas

“We’re excited to expand the fare options for riders through this offering,” VIA President/CEO Jeffrey C. Arndt said. “With this launch, customers can use the latest ticketing technology to plan and pay for multi-modal trips in San Antonio and Bexar County.”

“At Masabi, our mission has always been to make it quicker and easier to get around cities using a range of transit options, and our collaboration with Uber and VIA Transit is the next step to help us meet this goal,” said Brian Zanghi, CEO of Masabi. “VIA has been at the forefront of agencies launching modern technology and payment options, increasing accessibility to transit. Today’s launch builds on these foundations, delivering seamless access to Uber’s users for public transit.”

“We’re excited to be working with VIA and Masabi to bring yet another transit agency’s ticketing into the Uber app,” said Jen Shepherd, Global Head of Uber Transit. “Having a greater variety of transportation options helps to make it easier to live a car-light lifestyle. And with tickets available directly in the Uber app, riders are now able to purchase fare tickets seamlessly and with more flexible options.”

The post Uber and Masabi partner up with Via Metropolitan Transit to launch transit ticketing within Uber app in San Antonio, Texas appeared first on Sustainable Bus.