Mass Transit’s Answer to Uber & Lyft

Feb. 11, 2015

Widespread adoption of on-demand car services such as Uber and Lyft has permanently altered individual transportation and the taxicab industry. There is broad speculation that, without significant changes, mass transit is susceptible to the same type of disruption.

“Mass transit has been operating according to the same fixed-routes, fixed-stops, fixed-schedule model since the 1800’s. We see this as Mass Transit 1.0, which worked well for the first 100 years but isn’t going to work for the next 100,” said Doug Kaufman, TransLoc CEO. “We’re creating Mass Transit 2.0–a unified, intelligent platform that combines the best of fixed-route service with the best of on-demand service, enabling transit agencies to deliver amazing, rider-centric service.”

In the same way Uber is changing individual transportation TransLoc is transforming mass transit from last resort for some to first choice for everyone. The TransLoc platform empowers transit agencies to deliver on-demand services, achieve massive efficiency gains in their fixed-route service, and give riders a world-class mobile experience.

“Uber has shown that riders now expect services built around them,” Kaufman said. “What we’re building shifts mass transit to a rider-focused model. Agencies will have the tools and data needed to tailor services to the changing needs of their community while still fulfilling transit’s critical role in society.”

Mass transit is the latest in a long line of industries forced to rethink their business because of disruptive forces. Transit will survive, thanks to the urbanization of America and demand for more effective transit solutions that generated more than 11 billion trips on public transportation in 2014 alone. The question is whether it will thrive–how transit agencies will continue and in what form. With the TransLoc platform, agencies can make more efficient use of existing resources and evolve to meet the changing needs of riders everywhere.