Uber accelerates move into public transit with Routematch acquisition

Ride-hailing giant Uber snatched up software developer Routematch for an undisclosed sum as it branches out into the software-as-a-service space.

The price paid for the 170-person strong company based in Atlanta was not disclosed however.

Routematch's software allows its users, public transit agencies, to plan trips, track vehicles, make payments and other tools for fixed rout transportation such as buses.

Over 500 transit agencies were already using the software.

The acquisitions also came close on the heels of a deal with Marin County in the San Francisco Bay area to manage an on-demand service using a SaaS product.

But planning for the current drive had been long in the making with Uber having started developing such services in 2015.

David Reich, Uber's head of transit, said: "Uber knows that for cities to thrive, public transit has to thrive."