Lyft is introducing ‘Nearby Transit’ which connects Lyft riders directly with MBTA transit routes and schedules within the rideshare app.
Boston joins six cities across the country to have the feature from Lyft, which will allow users to survey the quickest routes to any given place.
The new feature of rideshare app offers the app-user proximity to the nearest MBTA transit options, routes, stations, schedules.
“Every corner of Boston has amazing attractions, dining, and cultural experiences worth traveling to, and this is one of the many reasons why we’re excited to bring Nearby Transit to the city,” Tyler George General Manager for Lyft Boston said in a statement.
Lyft partnered with Masabi, a London-based software company which focuses on mobile ticketing and fare collection for public transit in with multiple transit systems like New York MTA, Arriva, National Express, Thames Clippers, Keolis, Boston MBTA, LA Metrolink, The Hague and Las Vegas RTC. Nearby Transit is currently active in Santa Monica, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. The two companies hope to create a feature that would allow Uber users to pay for public transit fares as well, though the app has not implemented the feature yet.
“We’re connecting people to more transportation options within the app than ever, and we believe that by better integrating Lyft and public transit, we can make it easier and more efficient for people to get around the Boston area.”
Lyft said they worked with Boston officials and their transportation partners to provide multiple travel options within the app, including greener options like the city’s Blue Bikes bike-share system.
“We’ve made a lot of advancements that aim to provide the most affordable, reliable and sustainable transportation for Boston, while also working with the city and its transportation partners to give riders multimodal options,” Caroline Samponaro, Lyft’s head of bike, scooter and pedestrian policy said in a statement. “Multimodal transportation is strongly tied to Lyft’s mission and we’re thrilled to bring Nearby Transit to Boston.”
