A Florida Transit Agency Takes On the Digital Divide in a Partnership With Uber

Underfunded and overburdened, public transit agencies aren’t wrong to view Uber and Lyft as threats to ridership statistics and fare revenue. But viewed as a complement, ride-hailing offers an answer to the so-called “first-and-last-mile” problem which transit users often face, especially in low-density cities. Some agencies are wholeheartedly embracing ride-hailing’s potential—and undoubtedly, the rest will have a lot to learn from them.

Pinellas County, Florida, is among those early adopters. In February, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority became the first agency in the country to subsidize Uber rides (along with those from United Taxi, a local taxi company) for any rider, at any time, to and from designated bus stations in neighborhoods with thin transit coverage. This pilot program wraps up in August.