Amazon launches Alexa Transit

April 20, 2021
The new service supports major systems in the U.S. with more to be added in the coming months.

Amazon has launched a new feature that it says will help users explore a new city or find new ways to navigate their own city through Alexa Transit. The company says the new service fits with its vision “to help customers wherever they are” and its notes transit offers an efficient way to connect people and places.

“To make it even easier to use public transportation in cities, today we’re introducing Alexa Transit, a new feature that simplifies navigating public transit to or from home, work or other destinations,” the company wrote in a blog highlighting the new service.

Amazon explains users can ask for the status of a certain bus or train, navigate to places of interest or provide information on commute times. Users can also use the Alexa app to personalize destinations, such as their own home or work, and set public transit as the preferred commute type.

Alexa Transit is available in eight major U.S. cities including New York City, Newark and Jersey City, N.J., Philadelphia, Boston, Seattle, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay area with more to be incorporated throughout the year.

About the Author

Mischa Wanek-Libman | Editor in Chief

Mischa Wanek-Libman serves as editor in chief of Mass Transit magazine. She is responsible for developing and maintaining the magazine’s editorial direction and is based in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Wanek-Libman has spent more than 20 years covering transportation issues including construction projects and engineering challenges for various commuter railroads and transit agencies. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content. 

She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and serves as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.  

She is a graduate of Drake University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a major in magazine journalism and a minor in business management.