Dive Brief:

• Transit technology firm Cubic Transportation Systems will partner with urban mobility platform Moovit on a mobility as a service (MaaS) app that will integrate Cubic's ticketing and payment systems with Moovit's multi-modal trip planning.
• Through the partnership, Cubic's Traveler App will include Moovit's MaaS data, including service alerts, arrival information and trip planning options including car-sharing, ride-sharing, bike and scooter services.
• The two companies also signed a strategic agreement to explore future collaborations on MaaS offerings. Israel-based Moovit has information on 3,000 cities across 96 countries and holds what it calls the "world's largest repository of transit & urban mobility data." Cubic, meanwhile, controls payments and has employed its Traveler app for major transit agencies in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, London and New York. 

Dive Insight:

Amid declining ridership and revenues, transit agencies have increasingly looked to MaaS platforms as a way to attract riders. The idea is to show commuters how to piece together trips ⁠—​ especially to and from train and bus stops ⁠—​ that do not need to involve driving. Now, by merging multi-modal trip planning with payment options, Moovit and Cubic can create what Moovit Chief Growth and Marketing Officer Yovav Meydad called a "frictionless experience."

"When a user of Moovit plans their journey, we calculate the best options, including micro-mobility. By offering Cubic access to that trip planner, more users will benefit from that experience," Meydad told Smart Cities Dive. "If the travel experience gets better, we believe that more people will opt in and say good bye to their private cars."

The new Traveler app joins a flurry of innovative options to help customers plan transit and multimodal trips. Google, Uber and Lyft have each integrated new mobility options into their apps across many cities. Uber allows for transit payments through its app in some cities, starting in Denver. And Google’s Pigeon app allows for real-time, crowd-sourced updates on transit conditions in some cities.

Transit agencies have also taken the lead. Cities like Louisville, KY have designed their own MaaS apps and others have integrated driving and parking information. Moovit and Spothero, for example, have partnered to bring real-time parking information to apps, starting in the San Francisco Bay Area.  

Cubic even announced plans last week for a rewards program that would offer incentives to regular riders, and allow transit apps to show third-party ad content. 

Going forward, Meydad said, the hope is that Moovit’s MaaS platform can support more efforts and transit partnerships that "turn 'mobility as a service' from a buzzword to a reality."