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Efficiently moving people around cities has perplexed urban planners for centuries. What if ridesharing could help?

Rideshare services offer more than convenience for riders. They can offer powerful new options for city planners, who are tackling pollution, congestion, and parking shortages. The key to making cities move better? Maybe a shared network, combining rideshare services like Uber with public transit.

Uber Under the Hood on Medium, May 20, 2016


Ridesharing can not only help people get to their nearest transit stop but also:

  1. Fill in gaps in existing public transit service
  2. Provide access to underserved communities
  3. Alleviate the demand for parking
  4. Reduce costs of underused routes or services

When multiple options are connected, riders can use multiple modes of transportation—including public transit—to get where they need to go. By partnering with third-party apps, we hope to help bridge the gaps in transit systems by ensuring certainty and reliability in riders’ journeys.

Using the Uber app supports agencies and local governments in increasing access to public transit options.

American Public Transportation Association

California’s San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) partnered with Uber to extend the reach of its existing countywide transit service to residents who live outside the service area. Riders can save 50% (up to $5 per ride) when using Uber from outside the service area to popular destinations in the county between 6am and 10pm, Monday through Friday.

The City of Altamonte Springs, Florida, joined forces with Uber to launch a pilot program that subsidizes 20% of the cost of every Uber trip beginning and ending within city limits. Additionally, all trips starting or ending at the Altamonte Springs SunRail station will receive a 25% subsidy. In 2017, Uber expanded similar partnerships to the Florida cities of Lake Mary, Longwood, Maitland, and Sanford.

Our partnership with Masabi allows riders to seamlessly integrate public transit with ridesharing by booking and using transit tickets through the Uber API.

By integrating the Uber API into the TransLoc app, riders will receive a personalized journey with the optimal combination of walking, transit, and Uber trips.

Moovit users can plan their journeys using buses, trains, bikesharing, and Uber. Real-time estimates for Uber appear on the Moovit homescreen, giving users immediate access to the information they need to help get to their destination efficiently and affordably.

  • LA shows how connected Uber and public transport really are. The lines represent Uber trips that began or ended within 1/8 mile of an LA Metro station.

  • This map shows journeys where it’s likely that riders used Caltrain to connect 2 Uber trips.

  • Here, the lines represent Uber trips into Hackney that began within 200 meters of nearby Tube stops, showing how riders use Uber and the Underground together.