Transit platform launched for small- to mid-size cities

Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) has announced the launch of Umo, a fully integrated technology platform for riders, transit agencies and mobility service providers, with an initial roll-out in 31 US cities and counties.

Intended to give riders the ability to travel “safely, seamlessly, and stress-free” around their city or town, according to CTS, Umo brings modern technologies like contactless payments and mobile-enabled rewards to them.

Contactless readers

The first products, Umo mobile app and Umo Pass, will be available in 15 markets across the US, including Shreveport, Louisiana, and Victor Valley, California, in the coming weeks. Contactless readers will be installed on buses and in subway entrances in 16 additional markets including Raleigh-Durham and Ventura County, California, in the spring of 2021.

“Umo provides our riders with an easy-to-use platform for engagement with public transportation that simultaneously offers accessibility and trip-planning information across private modes,” said Alan Bright, chief financial officer of the Shreveport Area Transit System (SporTran).

“As cities everywhere look to recover lost transit ridership after a pandemic-induced decline, Cubic’s technologies are critical in helping us do that by delivering an intuitive, streamlined experience.”

The next products to launch will be Umo IQ, integrated within the Umo App across 100 cities around the world, and Umo Rewards which will be made available first to existing Umo Pass and IQ customers.

“Our platform is accessible to all types of travellers and provides the tools people need to travel around their towns and cities without stress”

Umo comprises six distinct travel solutions, each one a standalone tool that becomes more productive when combined with other offerings in the platform, said CTS. The platform includes:

• Umo App: comprises multimodal trip-planning and fare payment capabilities all in one app. Developed in partnership with Moovit
• Umo Pass: an account-based fare collection platform for transit agencies that aims to reduce the cost burden of traditional fare collection and make it easier for riders to pay through various touchless options, including both electronic payment and cash-preferred riders
• Umo Pay: provides a simplified approach for allowing transit agencies of all sizes to accept contactless scheme cards (Mastercard, Visa and American Express) as payment on buses and at railway gates
• Umo Rewards: loyalty programme that incentivises riders to engage with public transit and their communities by rewarding frequent, safe and congestion reducing travel behaviours
• Umo IQ: enables transit agencies to monitor and manage their vehicle fleets, and deliver accurate, real-time travel information to riders’ phones and digital displays at transit stops to help maximise travel efficiency
• Umo MaaS: a marketplace that brings together public and private mobility operators and provides connected journey options that are tailored to the preference of individual travellers.

“Cities are undergoing a paradigm shift for transportation, with Covid-19 capping a decade in which the transit ecosystem fractured into a complex landscape of new private modes alongside public networks,” added Mick Spiers, general manager of Umo.

“With Umo, our vision is to improve quality of life in cities and towns around the world through optimised mobility. “Our platform is accessible to all types of travellers and provides the tools people need to travel around their towns and cities without stress.”

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