More than 1,200 Regional Transportation District (RTD) tickets have been sold through the Uber app since it was launched to a small number of users in May and then released to all Uber users in Denver in late June. Growth of ticket purchases through Uber Transit averaged 42 percent each week during the rollout period, according to numbers released by Uber.
Uber Transit and RTD partnered on the first in-app integration of transit options in January 2019, which allowed users to see transit options and plan their trips with real-time information and first/last-mile directions from within the Uber app. Since transit’s integration into the app, Uber trips in Denver that start or end at a transit station have grown 11.6 percent.
“The data we’re seeing from the launch of Uber Transit affirm that people appreciate choices, and that the future of mobility lies in providers working together to deliver on public expectations,” said RTD CEO and General Manager Dave Genova. “Twelve hundred transit tickets sold within the Uber app represents twelve hundred decisions actively made to take transit, after considering all options available. And for travelers who take Uber after seeing that RTD is available to them, being made aware of our services ultimately broadens our reach.”
At the launch of the transit integration into the Uber app, both RTD and Uber said allowing ticket purchases was the next logical step and the partners collaborated with Masabi, which launched mobile ticketing services for RTD in the fall of 2017. Masabi’s Justride SDK (software development kit) allows mobile ticketing integration into Uber applications, giving users the ability to request fare types, make payments and receive visual and barcode tickets through a secure ticket wallet.
“Removing the friction associated with paying and using your phone as a ticket is key to encouraging more people to use public transit,” said Masabi Chief Product Officer Jonathan Donovan. “Eleven percent of RTD mobile ticketing customers had not used the transit agency’s bus and train services until they had downloaded the RTD Mobile Tickets app. We strongly believe that the ability to purchase transit tickets within the Uber app in Denver will have a positive impact on ridership numbers as paying and traveling is made easier, leading more people to leave their cars at home and ride transit.”
Other new data include:
- The number of repeat ticket purchases using Uber Transit has increased every week since ticketing launched. As of the week of June 24, approximately 25 percent of tickets sold were purchased by users who had previously purchased tickets on the app.
- Tickets sold on Uber Transit have increased each week, reaching over 200 weekly tickets as of the last week of June.
- While nearly two-thirds of tickets sold were for local rides, regional rides – including trips to and from Denver International Airport – were the second-most-popular option for in-app ticket purchases at 23 percent.
“Every week since we launched ticketing, more riders have used Uber to connect to mass transit,” said Uber Head of Transit David Reich. “Initial numbers show riders are using the Uber platform to plan their commutes from end-to-end, using a variety of transportation options. We’re using this data and insights from Denver to inform the Uber Transit experience in London, Boston and other future cities.”
Now that availability has reached 100 percent of Denver, Uber and RTD are ramping up marketing efforts throughout the region to increase awareness of Uber Transit. In addition to train cars wrapped with Uber Transit imagery, riders will also see electronic information displays at RTD stations, materials aboard the transit agency’s entire fleet of vehicles, social media, emails and notifications within the Uber app.
