Uber announced the acquisition of Routematch — a transit Software-as-a-Service provider, specializing in demand response, fixed route, payments, and mobility software. Routematch serves more than 500 transit agency partners in urban, suburban, and rural communities around the world. 

The acquisition brings together Uber’s expertise in on-demand, global mobility technologies with Routematch’s proven capabilities across paratransit, payments, fixed-route tools, and trip planning services. In a call with METRO Magazine, David Reich, head of Uber Transit, and Pepper Harward, CEO of Routematch, said the coming together of the two companies will create new innovations that make it easier for agencies to provide the right transportation solutions to their riders, through an expanded suite of technologies. 

“This partnership will open up lots of opportunities for public transit agencies and allow them to offer the right vehicle to best fit their customer’s needs at that particular time using our technology in compliment with Routematch’s software capabilities,” said Reich.

“This partnership will go a long way in helping transit agencies build out a better transportation system, which will increase not only the offerings they provide, but also address concerns like accessibility and equity,” added Harward.

Reich added that since 2015, Uber began partnering with public transportation agencies to build more efficient, accessible, and equitable public transportation networks, which has now led them to this major acquisition.

“Since we launched this branch of Uber in  2015, our team has spoken to agencies all over the world and found that we share a common vision, which is to make individual car ownership a thing of the past,” he said. “By forging strong partnerships, many transit agencies have become our advocates, allowing us to launch new services, such as journey planning and our recent venture with Marin Transit, which was our first Software-as-a-Service partnership.”

With over two decades of experience, Routematch has partnered with large and small transit agencies, starting locally in the U.S., and expanding globally. With some of the longest-tenured relationships in the industry, the company is trusted to deliver accessible and inclusive technologies for riders of all abilities. Its mission is creating sustainable mobility ecosystems that leave no person behind. Moving forward, Harward will remain on as CEO and both companies will continue to function as separate entities, with only the amount of options and innovation for transit agencies increasing.

“In the short term, we will integrate so that RouteMatch customers will have access to the Uber network,” said Harward. “Looking forward, there are a lot of opportunities for our customers to now look at ways to scale out the offerings they can provide.”

“I think Routematch’s customers can expect the same level of expertise and customer service they have grown accustomed to,” added Reich. “But, from Uber’s perspective, we think this is a big step forward and we are confident that we have added the best player in the space.”