New | Citymapper and Uber partner to create app for new routes in clogged Hong Kong

Transport app Citymapper has partnered with Uber to offer Hongkongers new routes in its app that combine both public transport and private rides, as people increasingly use ride-hailing services as part of their commute, according to executives.

“Hong Kong has an incredible transportation network, whether it’s the MTR or the ferries or Uber. However, traditionally all journey-planning apps have approached this separately, either routing public transport, or routing cars,” said Gene Soo, general manager for Citymapper in Hong Kong.

“But Citymapper is reinventing routing in the era of real-time and multiple modes of transport [by combining both].”

On the Citymapper app, users can now choose to enable an option that displays a combination of Uber rides together with public transport along with the usual public transit routes, to provide a faster and possibly even cheaper way to travel.

The new option is also suited to how Hongkongers are adapting their travelling habits as new ways of hailing rides emerge with the advent of companies such as Uber.

Statistics from Uber show that over 30 per cent of Uber rides in Hong Kong either begin or end near an MTR station, evidence that Hongkongers utilise the ride-hailing service for the first or last leg of their journey, according to Kenneth She, head of Uber in Hong Kong.