Increase access to and usability of your data through smarter storage
Increase access to and usability of your data through smarter storage
MaaS in the age of Covid-19
Metropia's powerful tools can help your agency regain ridership and enable safer travel.
Covid-19 Response Features
A holistic approach to reducing workplace congestion
The MaaS ecosystem is built on the premise of unifying available mobility options in a manner that allows travelers to discover and select their ideal options for a trip based on travel time, cost, flexibility, etc. However, in the current COVID-19 landscape, MaaS practices fall short of traveler needs and expectations in that they do not account for social distancing nor do they allay growing safety concerns.
For transportation agencies, identifying and addressing health and safety risks within your system is merely the first step toward resuming routine service. As local economies begin to reopen, the challenge is to draw travelers back to these services. Agencies must communicate their commitment to rider safety and proactively address traveler concerns.
Metropia has been evolving and adapting its platforms to empower your agency to regain traveler confidence and return to routine service with an emphasis on rider safety.
Metropia has managed congestion in numerous federal and regional sponsored projects by leveraging technology, personalization, behavioral economics, artificial intelligence, and institutional readiness to overcome barriers inhibiting traveler adoption of efficient travel behaviors in support of system goals.
Your agency can utilize Metropia’s Crowding Prediction model to communicate critical capacity and social distancing details with returning passengers (and even incentivize shifts in travel times to accommodate optimal distancing). This powerful feature is only one of many Metropia tools being leveraged to encourage and increase safer travel practices in these difficult times. In the coming weeks we will share additional details on our products and resources that stand ready to help empower your agency.
Supporting Technologies
The survey results exceeded both our and the employer’s expectations in terms of employee willingness to switch to a more eco-friendly means of commuting – the remaining obstacle was HOW to switch. Based on these promising results, Metropia is developing an Employer Transit Program that will be sponsored and administered by the employer to its employees which incorporates carpooling, vanpooling, mass transit, and bike sharing.
Basic trip planners and carpooling apps lack the functionality that employers need to address their unique requirements:
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protect the safety of their employees
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detailed reporting for achieving municipality targets
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incentivizing employees for sustained transit change
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direct reimbursement for transit or driver subsidies or payment of ‘guaranteed ride home’
Each of these extensions requires integration with existing systems, and safeguards need to be put in place to reduce the likelihood of participation fraud. Additionally, different End User License Agreements and Privacy Policies are needed to protect both the interests of the employee and employer.
Additionally, employers need to address their employees’ out-of-work needs and enable the app to fulfill their transportation needs in the evening and weekends as well. Social carpooling and ride-hailing options are most commonly cited as desirable add-ons by employees.
Implementing a well thought through employer transit program can enable the employer to achieve prevailing transit requirements, reduce parking congestion and be an attractive employee benefit as well.