Experts and transit leaders say that there could be real benefits to working with ride-hailing companies. But data is needed to assess how successful these programs really are.
Transit agencies are increasingly partnering with ride-hailing companies to expand transportation options for residents, including by offering discounted rides home for late night workers or last-mile transportation to transit hubs.
But whether partnerships work has not always been easy to figure out. Pilot partnerships have gotten off the ground in cities ranging from Philadelphia to Monrovia, California—with Washington, D.C.’s transit agency becoming the latest to announce a program providing discounted rides to late-night workers. And while some local leaders say the experiments are successes, others say they don’t have the data necessary to fully assess the programs.
Yet transit experts don’t see the trend fading anytime soon, particularly in small municipalities.
Route Fifty
By Andrea Noble
JULY 3, 2019