TRC introduces new Pingo Rural™ package to supercharge rural transit with on-demand and commingled service optimized for rural deployments
TRC introduces new Pingo Rural™ package to supercharge rural transit with on-demand and commingled service optimized for rural deployments
February 29, 2024 – New York, New York, USA: The Routing Company (“TRC”), a global on-demand vehicle routing and management platform partnering with cities to power the future of public transit, today announced the launch of its new Pingo Rural™ package, available globally.
Pingo Rural™ is a package containing preset configurations optimized to rural customers and housed within TRC’s Pingo platform, encompassing constraints and optimization tailored to the needs of sprawling rural deployments. It includes the ability to operate all modes – fixed routes, on-demand, paratransit, and shuttle routes – and to add Pingo features a la carte as desired.
For context, over 12 million (or 21%) of the population of the United Kingdom live in a predominantly rural area. And, according to the United States Census Bureau, a full 20% of Americans lived in rural areas as of 2020 (an increase from 19.3% in 2010), meaning nearly 66 million people live outside cities. Compounding the mobility challenge is historic National Transit Database reports showing America’s most unproductive transit routes most frequently occur in rural areas.
Pingo Rural™ helps alleviate pain points created by inefficient transportation deployments by right-sizing service based on demand that best fits community needs. In turn, this delivers more accessible, flexible, and convenient modes of transit, meaning greater utilization of an existing fleet, meaning more people per vehicle per revenue hour (or “PAX”).
“Transportation agencies have long faced multipronged challenges when deploying transit in rural areas. The first is due to lack of funding. The second is due to less predictable demand, which in turn causes inefficiencies in service – meaning less predictable and more expensive service for riders,” said James Cox, Chief Executive Officer, TRC. “Pingo Rural was developed with this in mind, enabling more efficient and demand-responsive transit to areas where residents are underserved. Living in a rural area shouldn’t mean limited access to public transit nor a compromised rider experience. We’re here to help change rural transit for the better – not just for riders, but drivers and operators too.”
TRC currently supports rural deployments in East and West Sussex (UK); Solano County (California); Campbeltown, Dunoon, East Lothian, and Berwickshire (Scotland), Chillicothe (Ohio), and Clallam County (Washington). In rural Scotland, Pingo has powered the movement of more than 20 times the passengers since launching – from one bus picking up 14 passengers per week to more than 380 passengers per week after the implementation of Pingo Rural™.
Of its current rural deployments, TRC’s routing engine powers utilization of 9.4 PAX at its peak. For rural and urban deployments, TRC’s seat utilization continues to be unmatched at an average PAX of 9.5 (versus industry average of 1.5).
“Since 2021, we have used Pingo to move people across Argyll, connecting multiple communities in rural Scotland which is no small feat,” said Colin Craig, Managing Director, West Coast Motors. “With Pingo, we not only gained real-time insight on rider demand and driver performance, we boosted efficiency in providing transportation for rural riders. Tailored solutions for rural deployments are a must, because rural transport demands flexibility and responsiveness to manage unpredictable demand – which cannot come at the expense of the rider experience. Working with TRC has allowed us to harness the best of rural transport, with efficiency, rider happiness, and responsiveness occurring in tandem.”
Customers operating Pingo Rural™ can further customize service by adding on Pingo features as desired, such as:
- Pingo Shuttle™ feature (supporting “light” fixed route services),
- First and last mile on-demand microtransit, and
- Commingled paratransit services with Pingo Access™.
TRC’s award-winning Pingo platform includes the Drive Pingo™ and Ride Pingo™ apps and the Pingo Dashboard™ operations management tool, which together provide on-demand, paratransit, fixed, shuttle, and flexible transit that enhances ridership of existing transit networks.
Pingo has moved over one million passengers to date. To learn more, visit theroutingcompany.com, or to request a demo email move@theroutingcompany.com.
About TRC
Founded by MIT researchers and rideshare industry veterans, TRC is a global on-demand vehicle routing and management platform that partners with cities to power the future of public transit. Leveraging proprietary and unrivalled artificial intelligence, TRC delivers routing from multiple points of demand to one vehicle while enabling greater transit equity, accessibility, cost efficiency, and sustainability. Its leading product, the Pingo™ app, offers on-demand or advance trip requests and can operate in on-demand, flex, fixed, or paratransit mode.
With a team spanning eight countries, TRC directly supports international operations and customer growth through hubs in Canada, Hungary, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Learn more at theroutingcompany.com.
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Vice President, Marketing & Policy
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James Cox
Chief Executive Officer
