Friends of Transit

Ride-hailing apps like Lyft and Uber were initially seen as competition to public transit when they first arrived. However, public transit agencies lately are increasingly seeing ride-hailing apps as allies to help fill gaps in transit networks. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) published a study showing that “ride-sharing and car-sharing services can play a valuable role in complementing”(1) traditional transit routes. Many commuters would not be able to afford using these shared services every day in place of public transportation to get to and from work. The APTA study also confirmed that shared mobility apps do not serve the same purpose as public transit. Ride-hailing apps peak hours are usually late weekend nights when public transit stops running or runs infrequently.

The benefits or transit/ride-hailing partnerships is in marketing and payment and navigation integration. Cities like Atlanta, Dallas, and St. Petersburg, Florida have launched partnerships with the ride-hailing apps to encourage customers to use the apps to get to and from transit stations. Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and Atalanta’s MARTA system added ride-hailing into their systems which allows passengers to see Lyft, Uber, or Zipcar as viable travel options. St. Petersburg, Florida took it a step further when the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) started a pilot program to subsidize half of an Uber ride or United Taxi ride (for cash and non-smartphone passengers) to or from a transit station (Up to $3). These partnerships help solve the first-and-and last mile problem by giving riders safe and reliable options to get to and from a transit station. PSTA also has enhanced the partnerships by tackling the issue of equity and digital divide.

Shared mobility apps are not designed to completely replace public transit. Ride-hailing apps and other shared-services platforms create improved transportation opportunities for smart city residents. If the ultimate goal of transit providers and cities is transportation equity and access then more partnerships like PTSA’s need to be the standard.

(1) Article: http://www.citylab.com/commute/2016/04/uber-lyft-ridesharing-apps-public-transportation/475908/?utm_source=nl__link1_041116