The US City of Tampa’s Mobility Department has said that it is looking for 200 people to participate in a Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) pilot with the city’s new mobility partner, Moovit. Moovit, is an urban mobility app that helps users plan multimodal trips, involving walking, cycling, scooting, driving, riding a streetcar or taking the bus.
In addition to trip planning, Moovit also offers mobile ticketing for public transit, real-time arrival information, and displays parking lots and park and ride locations, in addition to providing accurate and reliable urban mobility information.
The MaaS pilot starts with the local launch of Moovit multimodal trip planning and Hart mobile ticketing integration. The program will ask 200 people to answer three-question surveys in 30-day intervals over a six-month period. The surveys and a feedback portal grant participants the opportunity to influence the seamless functionality of micromobility and other mobility mode choices within the app.
The city has pressed Moovit to expand more into addressing gaps in the access to transit, and improve the connectivity between modes of transportation.
“The cost of travel, both financial and time cost, is going up across Tampa Bay,” says Vik Bhide, City of Tampa mobility director. “With the Moovit app, the City of Tampa is trying to make it as easy as possible to get people where they need or want to go.”
“As our population in Tampa Bay continues to grow, so does the demand on our transportation system,” says Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 7, secretary David Gwynn. “Providing access to multiple mobility choices is vital in serving this demand. We appreciate partnering with the City as they lead Phase I of the MaaS pilot and bring the Moovit app to broaden mobility options for the region.”
The FDOT and the City of Tampa have each contributed US$150,000 to the launch of Moovit in the City of Tampa.
Image: Adobe Stock
