Metro Magazine, September 2020

TRANSIT NEWS 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 Ubers expertise in on demand global mobility technologies with Routematchs proven capabilities across paratransit payments fixed route tools and trip planning services David Reich head of Uber Transit and Pepper Harward CEO of Routematch told METRO Magazine 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 customers needs at that particular time using our technology in compliment with Routematchs 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 Routematchs customers can expect the same level of expertise and customer service they have grown accustomed to added Reich But from Ubers perspective we think this is a big step forward and we are confident that we have added the best player in the space Uber NFI combines New Flyer MCI NFI Group Inc announced a company wide transformational initiative called NFI Forward to rationalize its business units and facilities The first major activity of NFI Forward is the immediate combination of New Flyer and MCI into one business with Ian Smart tapped to lead the integration effort as executive VP business transformation for NFI while Chris Stoddart will lead the combined company as president of New Flyer We know the past several months have been extremely hard on all of our customers and our primary focus was to continue providing exceptional customer care as they responded to the pandemic said Smart The dramatic drop off of the motorcoach market and the challenges resulting from COVID 19 presented an opportunity to integrate MCI into New Flyer resulting in a more efficient and cost effective combined business Unfortunately it also means the elimination of certain executive roles and I want to recognize and thank those affected for all that they contributed to MCI and to our customers for so many years The combined entity will continue offering all models of New Flyer transit buses and MCI motorcoaches MCI public market sales will be combined under New Flyer VP Sales Marketing Jennifer McNeill while MCI private market sales will be led by Brent Maitland VP private sector sales marketing Pat Ziska will continue to lead private new coach sales team while Steve Batho will continue to lead MCI technical customer support and service centers At NFI we exist to move people and our dedication to customers remains unwavering said Paul Soubry NFI president and CEO We will overcome the incredible impact from this pandemic and will keep communities moving safely as we continue to lead the migration to smarter vehicles and develop more environmentally responsible platforms Uber acquires Routematch 6 METRO MAGAZINE COM SEPTEMBER 2020 The acquisition of Routematch builds on Ubers first SaaS partnership with Marin Transit which was announced in June