CyRide Signs Contract with TRC for On-Demand Transit

The Routing Company (TRC) received a two-year contract from Iowa’s CyRide – marking TRC’s first agency partnership in the American midwest, according to the company's news release.

CyRide will shift its existing on-demand operation to TRC’s Pingo app in order to provide a new on-demand transit service.

CyRide is an agency of the City of Ames, Iowa, operating bus services for both the city and Iowa State University (ISU), supporting more than four million passengers per year. 

Launching December 2022, CyRide will use TRC's Pingo platform to operate existing and new on-demand services, leveraging the Pingo app, Transit Connect, and Pingo Journey features. This allows riders to make requests in the Ride Pingo app, drivers to pick up passengers and navigate in the Drive Pingo app, and dispatchers to schedule call-in rides online. 

“Pingo expands accessibility to transit. This is why we are thrilled to partner with CyRide on delivering last-mile transit services and curb-to-curb flexible service zones,” said James Cox, CEO of TRC. “CyRide operates an extensive transit system in the community, and together we are deploying more flexible, sustainable, and efficient transit options in Ames.”

Announced by TRC in October 2022, Pingo Journey is a new feature that allows riders to plan their transit journeys and book on-demand rides from within the Ride Pingo app, delivering Google Maps functionality while giving transit agencies control of on-demand dispatch. Pingo Journey can operate in on-demand, paratransit, fixed-route, and flex transit modes, according to TRC.

“We are excited to partner with TRC to improve the real-time experience for our passengers,” said Barbara Neal, transit director, CyRide. “The Pingo app will help make transit services more responsive to our rider's needs while also reducing the operational time needed for manually scheduling on-demand buses. CyRide is looking forward to developing this partnership and seeing the benefits it will bring to the Ames community.”