The Routing Company brings on-demand transit to Whittier
Pilot aims to enhance mobility solutions for the Californian city’s residents, while aligning with Whittier’s long-term transportation and sustainability goals.
The City of Whittier and its transit operator, the Parking Company of America (PCAM), is working with The Routing Company (TRC) to deliver a 16-vehicle on-demand transit service.
Whittier, a community located 12 miles southeast of Los Angeles, spans 14.8 square miles and serves a population of just under 100,000. Known for its commitment to sustainability and infrastructure innovation, the city operates dial-a-ride and microtransit services managed by PCAM, striving to provide equitable and efficient transportation for all.
On-demand pilot service
The pilot service, which includes 15 shuttle vehicles and one shared with La Habra Heights, will deliver a responsive dial-a-ride service in English and Spanish. Service is anticipated to launch early spring 2025.
The pilot aims to enhance mobility solutions for the city’s residents, while aligning with Whittier’s long-term transportation and sustainability goals in its 2021-2040 Envision Whittier General Plan, which outlines significant investments in mobility and infrastructure.
“This service also addresses our goals of reducing traffic congestion, improving first-mile/last-mile access through Pingo’s Transit Connect feature, and advancing environmental sustainability”
“Accessible and responsive transit plays a vital role in enhancing the quality of life for our residents while fostering a robust local economy. This partnership directly supports Whittier’s 2021-2040 Envision Whittier General Plan by enabling a connected, responsive, and multimodal transportation system,” said Brian Saeki, city manager of Whittier.
“This service also addresses our goals of reducing traffic congestion, improving first-mile/last-mile access through Pingo’s Transit Connect feature, and advancing environmental sustainability. Together with TRC, we are paving the way for innovative mobility solutions that will benefit all our residents and workers,” he said.
After successful completion of the six-month pilot, PCAM has the option to extend the service for an additional three years. With potential scalability across PCAM’s broader Metro Los Angeles operations, this collaboration underscores TRC’s commitment to empowering transit agencies with scalable, efficient, responsive, and equitable solutions.
“The City of Whittier and PCAM’s vision for transformative and accessible transit perfectly aligns with TRC’s mission to deliver innovation, efficiency, and unmatched support to agencies and their communities,” said James Cox, chief executive officer, TRC. “This partnership demonstrates the strength of our Pingo platform and its ability to adapt to the unique needs of both urban and suburban settings. We’re proud to be a part of Whittier’s mobility journey, and look forward to helping the city achieve its long-term goals of sustainable, multimodal transit.”
As a solution to improve the passenger experience, TRC developed its Transit Connect feature that guarantees connections for passengers to fixed route networks using real-time data, and boosts the reliability and efficiency in connecting to onward transit modes.
The service will leverage TRC’s Pingo platform, encompassing a rider-facing app, a driver-facing app with real-time routing, an operational tool for managing daily transit services, and comprehensive data analytics and reporting.
This partnership marks TRC’s first deployment in Southern California, but establishes its seventh in the state, joining forces with FAST, Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, the City of Vacaville, Solano Transportation Authority, Plumas Transit Systems, and Lassen Transit.
