NEORide, a council of governments comprised of 15 transit systems dedicated to the development and promotion of regional public transportation services, with Uber, and Masabi, are rolling out Uber Transit Ticketing, which will enable riders across Ohio and Kentucky to seamlessly buy tickets and ride with 13 local transit agencies — all from within the Uber app.

The feature provides more flexibility by facilitating access to a mobile ticketing option on the Uber app. With safety, health, and mobility an ongoing focus throughout Ohio and Kentucky, NEORide, Uber, and Masabi teamed up so riders can have added peace of mind when they come aboard.  

The 13 participating agencies that will have fares available in Uber, or will be added once fare collection resumes include Cincinnati Bell Connector, Laketran, Lancaster-Fairfield Transit, MCPT, METRO RTA, PARTA, Sandusky Transit, SARTA, TARTA, WRTA, BCRTA,                SORTA, and TANK.

After a rider enters a destination in the Uber app they will see “Transit” as a transportation option. Upon selecting "Transit," riders will get all the journey planning information they need to get to their destination using public transportation including real-time transit data, trip-planning, and end-to-end directions.

Buying your transit ticket in the Uber app is also easy — once a rider has selected their route, they can choose to purchase and redeem them using their existing payment profile. Tickets use visual and barcode validation, so entry onto a transit ride can remain touch-free. Once purchased, tickets are stored in the “Transit Tickets” section of the Uber app. Users activate tickets when boarding the bus and can do so even when they are offline. They then either show the passes to the driver or scan them using the onboard validation devices.

Transit tickets purchased via Uber will cost the same amount as through existing options, and in combination with journey planning, allow you to plan, pay, and navigate all in one app — helping avoid long wait times and lost tickets. Transit ticketing has been enabled using Masabi’s Justride SDK, the first mobile ticketing software development kit (SDK) for public transportation, creating a seamless passenger experience combining public transit and shared mobility services.

Both journey planning and Uber Transit Ticketing are rolling out today and will be available to 100% of riders in the 13 local transit agencies over the next few weeks.