Over here at TechCrunch, our time is often spent finding and reporting on the next new new thing in mobility, from autonomous drones and electric air taxis to self-driving trucks and even batteries made of paper. While this tech, in theory, may someday help people and goods move from point A to B, much of it is just that — theory. Hope. Promise. Showy demos to impress VC investors. That’s why we dug into the technology that’s helping cities move today. Some of it is unsexy, but transportation is, more often than not, a utility. We’ll take a close look at the tech helping move two U.S. cities — Miami and New York City — and run through a few other standout innovations in 2023. How Miami uses on-demand transit Image Credits: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Miami has been working with transit tech company Via to bring in on-demand transit since 2020. The service, formerly called GO Connect, launched during the COVID-19 pandemic as a first- and last-mile solution, filling in the gaps between where people live and major transit hubs. Three years later, Miami-Dade rebranded the service to MetroConnect, adopted it into its broader public transit network and added four new service zones. Within a month of rebranding and expanding, MetroConnect completed 69% more rides and saw a 70% increase in ridership, according to Via. The company also said MetroConnect has, since its inception, increased access to 57% more jobs within a 45-minute commute by connecting riders to transit hubs,… Click below to read the full story from TechCrunch
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The overlooked tech that kept cities moving in 2023
