Can Uber Help Save Public Transit?

More than a decade after the emergence of ride-hailing, the transit community still can’t quite decide what it thinks about Uber. Is the company an ally that can ferry new passengers to and from transit stations, solving the so-called “first mile-last mile problem”? Or is it a competitor, luring away more affluent riders and forcing remaining ones to endure worsening congestion? The debate continues, in transit board meetings as well as in academia.

Uber, for its part, would like to be seen as transit’s friend. In 2018, the company set up a team called Uber Transit to manage its relationships with public transportation agencies. The team’s new report, “Towards a New Model of Public Transportation,” arrives at a moment of profound crisis for U.S. public transportation systems, which have seen their ridership and revenue hammered by the coronavirus crisis. The Uber paper is the clearest articulation yet of ride-hailing’s pitch to transit agencies. The company presents itself as part of transit’s recovery; the report’s cover page promises to explain “how Uber is offering public transportation agencies new tools to operate more efficient, connected, and equitable mobility networks.”