Uber Secures Public Transit App Ally

Uber has a new friend in public transportation.

TransLoc, a transportation technology provider, announced yesterday (Jan. 11) a partnership with Uber for what appears to be the next-generation partnership between public transit and the private ridesharing market. What the partnership will enable is integrating the Uber API into TransLoc’s app to allow users to choose multiple forms of transportation, which include both public transit options and rides via Uber.

In a news release about the deal, TransLoc noted that the two companies “hope to bridge the gap by delivering the certainty and reliability that riders need to complete their entire trip.” This means incorporating the combination of walking, transit and Uber.

“It is exciting to see technology companies and public transit agencies work together to test new ways for making trip options convenient and complete,” Michael Melaniphy, American Public Transportation Association president and CEO, said in the news release. “As private sector innovation accelerates, such partnerships will enhance the attractiveness of public transportation, with the traveling public being the prime beneficiary.”

While riders can tap into TransLoc’s app for real-time tracking of public transit options, the Uber API gives riders that extra leg often needed to make their journey easier when seeking alternative ways to incorporate getting to a destination using multiple transit options.

“Our mission is to take mass transit from last resort for some to first choice for all. The partnership with Uber will help advance us toward this goal,” said Doug Kaufman, CEO of TransLoc, “and make public transit a viable option for everyone, not just people who live within a quarter of a mile of a stop.”

TransLoc Rider with Uber will debut in mid-February in Memphis, Tennessee, and Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, with agency partners Memphis Area Transit Authority and GoTriangle. Beyond those regions, Uber riders will have to see where the private-public partnership could expand.