Uber customers will now be able to track the arrival times of public trains and buses in the ride-hailing app when the company taps Boston as the first city in the country to roll out a new feature.
Starting Wednesday, the Uber app will display information about nearby MBTA bus and train options with real-time arrival data, the company announced. The feature is not yet available on Uber in any other part of the United States.
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“We are excited to give our riders in Boston a new way to access mass transit right from their app,” Uber spokesperson Harry Hartfield said in a statement. “Uber, and the cities in which we operate, share many of the same goals: reducing congestion and expanding access to transportation, and we look forward to continuing to partner with the MBTA and MassDOT to achieve those goals.”
Ride-hailing services have come under scrutiny in Massachusetts amid their growth in popularity and a collective traffic nightmare. Gov. Charlie Baker proposed quintupling the 20-cent-per-trip fee imposed on the platforms as a response to the “wear and tear” they contribute to transportation infrastructure.
The companies have argued that, although their use has grown, they are unfairly targeted because their vehicles represent only a small portion of total congestion.
Fellow ride-hailing company Lyft launched a similar public transit connection in its app last year.
