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Transit Horizons: Toward a New Model of Public Transportation

What’s on the horizon for public transportation? Download this industry perspectives paper today to find out.

Structural changes around unemployment, rider preferences, and working from home are likely to linger and still impact public transit well into 2021 and beyond. How can we take what we learned during COVID and build resilient alternative models for public transit?

For this paper, the Transit team at Uber gathered feedback from public transit leaders and tapped into economic models, rider travel trends, and technology developments to offer insights that we hope will spark a few ideas as we look to the horizon.

Some top forecasts

Travel patterns and density can help agencies determine where on demand service could work best for riders and agencies.

Pockets for significant cost savings exist today by incorporating on-demand service delivery models into current fixed-route or demand-response models.

Ridesharing and on-demand service can help increase equity and allow for rider and geographic expansion.

Rather than planning once every few years, network and service planning and redesign will occur monthly, weekly, or even daily to reflect actual rider travel patterns.

Rider travel patterns will dictate the future of transportation.

Transit managers will become mobility managers.

Some of the topics we’ll share

  • Ideas on how to create resiliency through new business models, service models, cost structure, and technologies
  • How to create an optimal mix of rideshare services for increased rider satisfaction and cost reduction
  • The changing role of transit manager to mobility manager
  • How to shift from a fixed cost structure to one that flexes with true rider demand
  • How technology can be applied to merge different transit service delivery models
  • And more

What the industry is saying

“Uber has played a key role in improving mobility and connecting our residents to public transit here in Pinellas County. Each day we can see the positive impact on-demand services have on our community. Transit Horizons’ insights articulate the advantageous partnership between transit and ridesharing, and we’re excited to see how the partnership will continue to grow and improve the experience for our riders.”

Brad Miller - CEO, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority

"The vision presented in Uber's Transit Horizon's paper is aligned with what we're trying to achieve at Denver RTD. For our Paratransit customers, this includes increasing on-demand access with equitable, effective, and cost-efficient transportation solutions. We're excited for a future in which more tools and technologies are available to public transit agencies and look forward to collaborating with platforms like Uber to support our goals."

Paul Hamilton - Senior Manager, Paratransit Services at Denver RTD

"APTA agrees with Uber that public transportation is undergoing a major transformation due to COVID and the emergence of new mobility technologies. We agree that transit must continue to play a central role in urban mobility networks in order for cities to flourish and prosper."

Paul Skoutelas, APTA CEO & President

Looking toward the future of transit

As we look to build back better, let's work together to build resilient alternative models for public transit. Tell us a bit about your transportation needs and goals, so we can start the conversation.

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