Nonprofit regional public transportation provider Rabbittransit, which procures shared ride services to 10 Pennsylvania counties, including York, Cumberland and Perry counties, has turned to Uber, Lyft and others to broaden its services.
During the past six months, Rabbittransit has introduced a pilot program in York County, using Uber on a limited basis for its shared-ride services.
This sort of partnership with ride-hailing companies and community transit companies is beginning to be more common. In May, Innisfil, a town of approximately 36,000 north of Toronto, Canada, launched a similar ride sharing-transit partnership with Uber, in order to fill the gap in the town’s public transportation needs.
Like in Innisfil’s instance, Rabbittransit’s partnership with Uber enables it to expand its services and meet the needs of as many people as possible.
Richard Farr, executive director, Rabbittransit says that he expects the transportation company will eventually use Uber and Lyft in all of its counties where it operates.
Thousands of people use Rabbittransit each day to get to work, medical facilities, school, senior centers and other activities.
Rabbittransit has more than a half-a-dozen vendors, including taxi companies, and is always looking for additional subcontractors to help expand the nonprofit’s reach.
The nonprofit transportation company makes about 650 trips a day in Cumberland County and is based in West Manchester Township, York County.