The City of Centennial in Denver’s greater metropolitan area has got a new multi-modal transportation application, making it easier for residents and visitors there to find the shortest, cheapest and most sustainable way to get from point A to point B.
Go Centennial, powered by Xerox and an extension of the Go Denver smartphone app, includes in-app booking for Lyft, marking the first time a mobile app and ridesharing organization have come together to meet the needs of transit users in this way.
The app takes an individual’s destination and desired arrival time and calculates the different routes available, categorized by ‘sooner’, ‘cheaper’, and ‘greener’. It aggregates and calculates the time, cost, carbon footprint and health benefits from walking, biking, driving, parking and taking public transit, as well as the emerging ride-hailing transportation options, such as Lyft, Zipcar, Car2Go and FlitWays, giving users a variety of ways to reach their destination while taking into account real-time traffic conditions.
Go Centennial features in-app booking with Lyft, which means riders will no longer be directed outside of the app to book a trip. For a six-month period, Centennial and the Denver South Transportation Management Association will offer free Lyft Line rides to and from the Dry Creek Light Rail Station to help solve ‘first-mile-last-mile’ issues. The city has a high proportion of its population aged over 65; to aid their mobility options, the city authorities have created training sessions to teach senior citizens how to use the app and get around using ridesharing services like Lyft.
Centennial has also partnered with non-profit Via Mobility Services to provide accessible transportation services to passengers who are living with disabilities or who require the use of wheelchairs or other mobility devices. The app is also able to provide ‘urban insight’, with users’ destination and preferred travel mode data anonymously shared with the city authorities to provide insights into how citizens get around. The information is helpful for planners as they look to improve and build new transportation infrastructure. Go Centennial is part of a suite of urban mobility apps launched this year by Xerox, including Go LA and Go Denver in the USA, and Go Bangalore in India.
“As a relatively new city founded just 15 years ago, Centennial is an ideal choice to adopt a mobility platform of this kind,” said David Cummins, senior vice president of mobility solutions at Xerox. “Beyond the seamless travel experience for citizens, the program will help the city glean important information it can use to advance transportation systems.”
Lyft general manager Gabe Cohen commented, “We are committed to working with cities and transit to be a first-mile-last-mile transportation solution, which is why we are thrilled to partner with Centennial to offer free Lyft rides to and from the Dry Creek Light Rail Station. This pilot is the first of its kind in the nation, and we expect many other cities in Colorado and across the country to follow the innovative leadership of Centennial.”
