California-based Cubic Transportation Systems has launched platforms for intuitive fare payment, multi-modal trip planning, real-time data and loyalty incentives.

Under the name Umo, the integrated suite of platforms is for riders, transit agencies and mobility service providers to complement existing transportation technology.

The suite can let riders conveniently pay fares and plan trips across public and private modes, earn rewards for riding public transit, and access real-time information to optimise their mobility experience.

Designed to give riders the ability to travel safely, seamlessly and stress-free around their city or town, Umo simplifies travel by integrating all of a region’s transportation options, from buses, trains, trams and ferries to rideshare, scooters and bikes, in one place.

The scalable platform-based approach is designed to benefit agencies of all sizes from the smallest bus operator to larger towns and cities. Large and mega-cities also benefit with the platforms complementing their existing fare collection systems with options including enhanced multi-modal journey planning, mobile apps, digital loyalty and rewards, operator intelligence, passenger information, and mobility-as-a-service (MaaS).

“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,” said Mick Spiers, general manager of Umo. “With Umo, our vision is to improve quality of life in towns and cities around the world through optimised mobility. Our platform is accessible to all types of travellers and provides the tools people need to travel without congestion, without delays and, ultimately, without stress. Umo is a single multi-agency platform. All customers connect and consume the service in a subscription-based model, much the same as you connect to services such as Spotify, Netflix or Office 365.”

Umo comprises six distinct travel options, each one a standalone tool that becomes more productive when combined with other offerings in the platform. Riders can access Umo products through the mobile app or contactless bank or metro card. The six options are:

• App: A colourful, user-friendly experience with multimodal trip-planning and fare payment capabilities all in one app. Developed in partnership with Moovit.
• Pass: An account-based fare collection platform for transit agencies that reduces the cost of traditional fare collection and makes it easier for riders to pay through touchless options, including electronic payment and cash-preferred riders.
• Pay: Provides a simplified approach for transit agencies of all sizes to accept contactless scheme cards – Mastercard, Visa and American Express – as payment on buses and at railway gates.
• Rewards: A loyalty programme that incentivises riders to engage with public transit and their communities by rewarding frequent, safe and congestion-reducing travel behaviour. Riders also earn rewards through engagement with sponsored content from Umo partners, which can provide a revenue stream for transit agencies.
• IQ: Enables transit agencies to monitor and manage their vehicle fleet, and deliver accurate, real-time travel information to riders’ phones and digital displays at transit stops to increase travel efficiency.
• MaaS: A marketplace that brings together public and private mobility operators and provides connected journey options that are tailored to the preference of the traveller.

The first Umo products, App and Pass, will be available in 15 markets across the USA in the coming weeks. Several agencies – including Shreveport, Louisiana; Skagit County, Washington; and Victor Valley, California – went live last month. Contactless readers will be installed on buses and in subway entrances in 16 additional markets in spring 2021, including Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina and Ventura County in California.

“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 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 IQ, integrated within App across 100 cities around the world, and Rewards, which will be made available first to existing Pass and IQ users.