The Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC), a national, public-interest organization working to foster collaboration in shared transportation, today announced the launch of its new Trade Ally program featuring support from industry leaders including Zipcar, Lyft, car2go, RideScout and State Farm.
The Trade Ally program will provide private sector operators and innovators with an opportunity to support SUMC’s work, which focuses on bringing together a wide range of interests – including government, industry, non-governmental organizations, and academics – to help guide the development of the shared mobility industry.
“Through piloting programs, conducting research and providing advice and expertise to cities and regions, SUMC hopes to extend the benefits of shared mobility for all,” said SUMC Executive Director Sharon Feigon. “The support of our Trade Allies will help us continue our work to expand shared mobility and lessen emissions, lower transportation costs and improve public health in communities across the nation.”
“Zipcar, Lyft, car2go, RideScout and State Farm are leaders in their respective fields and have been among SUMC’s earliest supporters,” she said. “We are thrilled to officially recognize these organizations as Trade Allies, and welcome the rest of the industry to join us and help create a diverse, comprehensive network of mobility options that works for all.”
While SUMC operates in the public interest and is not an industry association or trade group, the organization works closely with private sector companies to advance shared mobility. Such collaboration is increasingly important as shared mobility evolves at a rapid pace, including new developments in carsharing, bikesharing, ride-sourcing and flexible transit.
Currently, SUMC has several projects underway to help facilitate further understanding and cooperation among the public and private sectors, including developing an interactive shared mobility toolkit for cities, conducting two studies on the interrelation of new forms of shared mobility with public transit, and hosting a national shared mobility summit this fall in Chicago.
In addition to supporting SUMC’s work, Trade Allies also receive many benefits including ongoing connections to SUMC’s expansive network of public and private sector leaders, recognition on SUMC’s website and materials and regular updates on the latest trends and issues in shared mobility.
SUMC’s pioneering group of Trade Allies includes:
Zipcar (Champion Level): Zipcar, the world’s leading car sharing network, has operations in over 470 cities and towns throughout Austria, Canada, France, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Zipcar offers more than 50 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to nearly a million members looking for smart, simple and convenient solutions to their urban, travel and campus transportation needs. Zipcar is a subsidiary of Avis Budget Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CAR), a leading global provider of vehicle rental services.
Lyft (Leader Level): Lyft is a ridesharing app that connects people with affordable, reliable rides within minutes. After a background check and safety inspection, drivers use their own cars to help people get around their communities. With Lyft Line, passengers can carpool together to make their trips even more efficient. Lyft launched in June 2012 and is in more than 65 cities across the country.
car2go (Leader Level): car2go North America LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation and a brand of moovel GmbH, offers an innovative mobility solution in rapidly growing urban areas via a carsharing network of eco-friendly smart fortwo vehicles around the world. A flexible and “on demand” mode of transportation, car2go complements existing public transportation by bridging the gaps between the “first and last mile” of a member’s commute. Today, car2go’s global operation is the largest, fastest-growing carsharing program with more than 1,000,000 registered members in 30 cities across the globe.
RideScout (Friend Level): RideScout is a technology platform that aggregates transportation options on its free iOS and Android apps and, utilizing predictive technology, helps users get around cities faster and smarter. RideScout shows users multiple modes of transportation in one view, with real-time transit departures and traffic integration. The company is based in Austin, Texas with satellite offices in Washington, DC, San Francisco and Chicago. RideScout is a company within moovel GmbH, a subsidiary of Daimler AG. In June 2015, RideScout acquired GlobeSherpa, a market leader in mobile solutions for public transportation with mobile book-and-pay ticketing across the US. Please visit www.ridescout.com for more information.
State Farm® (Friend Level): The mission of State Farm is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto, home and individual life insurance in the United States. Its 18,000 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve more than 82 million policies and accounts – nearly 80 million auto, home, life, health and commercial policies, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 41 on the 2015 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com.
More information about SUMC’s Trade Ally program is available at sharedusemobilitycenter.org/trade-allies.
