Uber launches new public transit feature in 3 Michigan cities

https://goo.gl/otiKU7

The ride-sharing app Uber noticed many of its users are using the service in conjunction with public transportation.

In recognition of that fact, the company on Tuesday, May 16, launched a new feature for Android devices in collaboration with the mobile app Transit.

In the 47 U.S. cities in which the service was launched Tuesday, Uber will automatically recognize whenever a rider's end destination is at or near a public transit stop and display upcoming departure times. 

With both Uber and the Transit app installed, users can tap on the display to open the public transit navigational app for directions, service disruption updates and more.

The hope is to make it easier for people to get from A to B and to eliminate the need to shuffle between various different apps, according to a blog post from Andrew Salzberg, Uber's head of transportation policy and research.

"At both Uber and Transit, we envision a future in which every journey is shared using a combination of transit options," Salzberg writes.

The ultimate goal, he writes, is to create better connected cities, a viable alternative to car ownership and reduced traffic and parking concerns.

"While there's still much more work to do, we're excited that our integration with Transit can help us get one step closer to this reality," Salzberg writes.

The Transit app works with a number of of different public transit options in each participating city.

In Grand Rapids, it provides real-time data from public transit provider The Rapid. In Detroit, the app draws information from the Detroit Department of Transportation and Transit Windsor. In Ann Arbor, the app draws its information from The Ride transit service and from U-M Transit.