Uber and Marin Transit are teaming up to provide residents a new, on-demand public transit option up and around the Highway 101 corridor in Marin County. With a population of diverse needs, and a desire for increased flexibility in these times, this partnership will offer residents expanded mobility options to and from doctor's appointments, grocery stores, SMART transit stations, and more.

This update builds on existing public transit integrations, such as Journey Planning, which has been available in the Marin region since 2019. It also continues our support of transit agencies around the world, as Uber continues to serve as a first/last-mile facilitator and expand on-demand access in cities and non-urban cores.

When a rider in Marin opens the Uber app, he/she/they will see a new option called “Marin Connect” that can be booked as it would with UberX. Fares are $4 per mile ($3 for Marin Access riders), and if another rider is heading in the same direction, they will share the ride with you along the way — maximum occupancy of two riders for now within this six-seat vehicle. These vehicles are also built for those needing a little extra assistance, and fully wheelchair accessible. All riders will only need to pay the per mile fare, with no booking fee, and all fares passed directly from the rider to Marin Transit.

“This partnership is going to be a bit different because this service is going to be built on Uber’s tech and a Software-as-a-Service platform that will help create a great experience for the rider, who will be able to reserve an on-demand vehicle right in the app,” said Chris Pangilinan, head of global policy for public transportation at Uber. “With Marin Transit, this is a next level service than what we’ve done before because instead of functioning as a TNC, we’re going to be working with the county’s vehicles instead.”

Marin Transit is using Uber's marketplace technology on a subscription basis to facilitate requesting, matching, and tracking of their high-occupancy vehicle fleet. Marin Connect trips are brought to life on top of Uber's platform, an outcome resulting from a desire to help residents do more and conversations with Uber that started in early 2020.

Additionally, Transit Authority of Marin (TAM) is partnering with Uber to launch a first/last-mile voucher program to and from transit stops. These vouchers can be used for Marin Connect as well.

Both services — first/last-mile vouchers and Marin Connect — will be live on July 1.

Look for Chris Pangilinan on a future episode of METROspectives, where he will discuss this partnership, new mobility models, and more. Until then, visit the podcast page to catch up on past episodes, including Paul Comfort, CUTA President/CEO Marco D'Angelo, and CTAA Executive Director Scott Bogran.