US: In the bid to turn the US’ Cincinnati Region into a center of innovation, Uber has joined forces with the city to announce a long-term partnership to develop the Cincinnati Mobility Lab, which hopefully will serve a model for others.
The ride-calling app has made a multi-year commitment to work with the Cincinnati region to ensure that the benefits of new transportation options are widely shared. This is for the first time in decades, when urban transportation is in the midst of rapid change.
By turning personal cars into shared vehicles, you can deliver new mobility benefits to riders in cities around the world. The service will include:
Expanded Uber presence in Cincinnati: Announcing a renewed commitment to a local presence in the Cincinnati Region, with a new, expanded greenlight hub location and a dedicated Uber partnership manager for this project.
Curb of the Future: In Cincinnati, we heard from the city that the public transportation vehicles were occasionally getting stuck behind double parked cars, some serving rideshare passengers. To help directly address this, we’ve commissioned a transportation consulting firm known for their work improving communities to partner with the city over the next year. Their charge is to help balance the needs and safety of all users, prioritizing mobility of public transportation service while addressing the growing demand for curb space at key sites along downtown corridors. Designing the future of curb space as shared mobility grows is a hot topic across the globe – we want to make Cincinnati a world leader on how to tackle the challenge.
Bringing Uber Movement to Cincinnati: Bringing our data sharing platform, Uber Movement, to the Cincinnati region, starting today. As part of the launch, we’ve been working with the Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI), the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization and a key local partner, on some new ways that data can be put to use for research and analysis. Cincinnati’s rollout coincides with the one year anniversary of our Movement launch. In that time, we’ve added new features and new cities around the world. We’re excited to build the next chapters of that product using lessons we learn in Cincinnati.
Transit Study: Launching a first-of-its-kind study with two local transit agencies, SORTA and TANK, and sharing data that will assist them in their efforts of developing a strategy for the future of their service. A leading transit consultant will combine data from Uber with insights derived from local transit agencies. By offering information on the changes in transportation behavior that Uber is seeing, we want to equip transit agencies with the best information on how they can plan for their future.
Employers & Commuting: Announcing the creation of an employer forum with the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber to help shape the future of commuting. This collaborative project will address how technology like Uber can work with the private sector to solve commuting challenges, create an attractive environment for employees, and help the region’s businesses compete for talent, connect people to jobs, and grow.
Cincinnati Mobility Summit: We’re bringing Harvard’s Stephen Goldsmith to Cincinnati to lead a forum hosted on how cities can manage transportation mobility in a way that overcomes the traditional boundaries between transport modes. The summit will bring together regional leaders and global experts on these topics, and highlight some of the cutting edge work happening in Cincinnati.
Meals on Wheels: Bringing our national partnership with Meals on Wheels to Cincinnati by helping to recruit the next generation of volunteers.
Thanks to the leadership of the Mayor of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, OKI, and numerous other local partners, we’ve created a project that cuts across multiple dimensions.
As we kick off 2018, Uber is excited to be a strong partner for the cities we operate in. The announcement today is a big step in that direction. If you’d like to learn more about partnering with us where you live, get in touch via uber.com/city-partners.
As we’ve said before, technology on its own is not a solution for urban problems—but done right, and in partnership with others, we believe shared mobility has the potential to contribute to a better world for all.
