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Pittsburgh just had another first, this one in transportation. Now you can ditch your car and download an app to get around town using multiple modes of transportation.

New Transit The app will allow you to find a bus, a “T”, a bicycle, an electric scooter, an electric moped, a car or a carpooling. All options are available in the app or by visiting one of the 50 new “mobility hubs” located on the city’s major transport routes. The hubs have electronic screens that guide users to all nearby public transportation options of all kinds.

At a press conference on Friday morning, Mayor Peduto and representatives of Move PGH unveiled the integrated mobility system, the first Comprehensive Mobility as a Service (MaaS) application in the United States It connects traditional mass transit (such as buses and light rail) and emerging low-cost shared transportation in a single, easy-to-use system.

New transit options include:

• A new fleet of shared low-speed electric scooters supplied by Turn
• Extensive car-sharing services provided by Zipcar
• A fleet of electric mopeds by local startup Scoobi
• Carpooling and commuting matchmaking services facilitated by Carpool Waze
• Electric charging for electric scooters provided by Swiftmile
• Real-time information on public transport and mobility on TransitScreens in mobility hubs
• Travel planning and most travel bookings available through Transit

The Transit application is already used by more than 40,000 people, 79% of whom do not have access to a private vehicle. Users can pay with a credit card and use multiple modes of transportation without having to enter credit card information.

One of the most unique aspects of the system is the use of Waze Carpool. It uses the free Waze GPS navigation software app which provides real-time traffic information combined with a ridesharing system that connects users with other drivers who pass their way.

“Waze Carpool makes it easy and fun for Wazers to get around together, saving Pittsburgh people time and money,” said Adam Fried, Global Partnerships Manager at Waze. “Drivers and riders with similar origins and destinations to Pittsburgh will be matched, which will help reduce pressure on the roads and the environment throughout the city. “

Since accessing mobility options is a challenge for many low-income Pittsburgh residents, the city will also launch a Universal Basic Mobility pilot. This will give up to 100 low-income local residents monthly transit passes and shared mobility services.

“In Pittsburgh, too many residents are on a missed bus or punctured to lose their jobs or miss a critical appointment,” said Mayor Peduto. “Universal Basic Mobility, using the services of Move PGH, will demonstrate that when people have a readily available emergency transportation plan, they are able to access more opportunities and move up the economic ladder. “

These initiatives are the culmination of more than two years of work in an unusual non-profit public-private partnership led by the city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI).

The 100 low-income people of the Universal Basic Mobility pilot project will participate for six months, with “trip coaching” from the Manchester Citizens Society to make sure they understand how to use these new transportation options.

Spin, a mobility solutions provider backed by Ford Motor Company, will work with the Urban Institute to assess its possible use as a national model.

“Making mobility cleaner, fairer and more reliable is at the heart of Spin’s mission; participating in this unique project brings us even closer. As a native of Pittsburgh it has been gratifying to be able to launch our pilot project and to see this project come to fruition by giving residents a series of options to make getting around as easy without a car as with a car, ”said Ben Bear. , CEO of Spin.

“What I’m most proud of is that the city is launching a Universal Basic Mobility pilot project that will allow a group of low-income residents to access Move PGH. We hope that Move PGH can become a model on how micro-mobility operators can collaborate with cities and other mobility companies to better serve the public. adds Bear.

(Image courtesy of Zipcar)

The Universal Basic Mobility and Move PGH demonstration project are funded by the Richard King Mellon Foundation and Spin, in partnership with InnovatePGH.

“The objective, in the long term, is transparent tariff integration” Karina ricks, director of DOMI, said Streetsblog. “What we want over time is to be able to say, ‘This transportation network and everything in it, that’s it. a system, and your trip will cost $ 3, end to end, even if you use three different (shared) modes along the way.

“We can analyze the revenue that we are receiving among the different operators in the background, so that the user does not have to worry about it. We can put in place a subsidy on parts of this route if a passenger is on low income, or to encourage them to use something more sustainable. We can do all of that for them and make it as easy as possible because all the user wants is to get from where they are to where they need to go.

Michael machosky is a writer and journalist with 18 years of experience writing on everything from development news, food and film to art, travel, books and music. He lives in Greenfield with his wife Shaunna and 8 year old son.