TRC’s Pingo Delivers On-Demand Shuttle Service To Improve Tourist District Mobility Via A New Contract Supporting Maryland’s Bethesda Urban Partnership

Cityscape of Bethesda, Maryland.

The Routing Company (TRC), a global on-demand vehicle routing and management platform partnering with cities to power the future of public transit, recently announced it has received a new one-year contract from RMA Limo (RMA), operator of the Bethesda Circulator. The circulator is managed by the Bethesda Urban Partnership (BUP), in Bethesda, MD, to improve mobility in downtown Bethesda — a thriving tourist and economic development hub. Service is already underway.

BUP leads maintenance of the 300-acre downtown Bethesda region, including management of the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, management of the Bethesda Circulator, and operation of Bethesda Transportation Solutions (BTS). BTS helps manage downtown traffic via local, state and federal commuter benefits programs and tax incentives to local employers, as well as promotion of alternative transportation such as rail, bus, carpools, and biking — all aiming to reduce single occupancy vehicle trips and improve sustainability in the region.

TRC supports BTS by leveraging its Pingo products — including features such as Pingo Campus™ and Pingo Journey™ — to provide enhanced mobility services for the community, namely operating a continuous shuttle in the region. TRC’s Pingo Campus™ feature is ideal for shuttle operation, allowing riders to track available shuttles in a specified area in real time, while utilizing Pingo Journey™ to find other public transit options and plan onward multimodal transit journeys. Service operates in partnership with RMA Limo, the transit service provider for BUP.

“Pingo Campus has proven to be a critically needed feature for a wide array of operators, namely in deploying shuttle services to concentrated populations of riders who need greater reliability of local transit options,” TRC Chief Executive Officer James Cox said. “Both visitors to and residents of Bethesda can now enjoy more responsive mobility that supports economic development, reduces traffic congestion, and provides greater flexibility in getting around downtown Bethesda.”

Pingo Campus™ is TRC’s in-app feature tailored to campus-style deployments including universities, corporate campuses, and high-density rider areas. Within Pingo Campus™, operators can deploy shuttle services in continuous circulator or on-demand modes. Introduced in November 2022, Pingo Campus™ contains the same user interface as TRC’s Ride Pingo™ app while integrating constraints optimized for shuttle use. This includes greater fixed and flex route options, and heightened security features that meet rigorous privacy requirements.

Launched in October 2022, Pingo Journey™ integrates TRC’s real-time routing technology with public transport infrastructure, allowing riders to hail on-demand transport rides and plan multimodal transport journeys all from the single Ride Pingo app. The feature makes Pingo the world’s only app offering on-demand transport and end-to-end journey planning in one place.

TRC’s Pingo platform includes the Drive Pingo™ and Ride Pingo™ apps and the Pingo Dashboard™ operations management tool, which together provide on-demand, paratransit, fixed, and flexible transport that enhances ridership of existing transport networks. Pingo has moved over 300,000 passengers to date.

Visit theroutingcompany.com/products.