Uber Partners With Transit in Denver

Laura Bliss reports that Denver travelers can now buy Regional Transportation District transit tickets through the Uber app. "The move is part of a progression: In January, Uber launched a trip-planning service within its mobile platform that included RTD options. In other cities, dockless scooters and bikes are also available for rent, in-app."

Bliss notes that while the ticketing option helps better integrate ridesharing and transit services, Uber's take on its relationship to other modes has not always been rosy. In the past, Uber has seen transit as competition and, in fact, rideshare has been siphoning off riders from transit systems across the country.

Uber more recently has marketed itself as complementary to transit, and it has sought out partnerships. Denver has made investments in its bus and rail network, but it has struggled to boost ridership. Uber sees this type of partnership as a way to improve multimodal mobility in the Denver metro area and in cities around the world. "Denver may be an ideal proving ground to see if a marriage between ride-hailing and transit can be mutually beneficial, at least," writes Bliss.