Crowdsourced Bus Startup Expands Service

The first company to determine bus routes by popular demand has found success in multiple states.

1 minute read

December 20, 2018, 12:00 PM PST

By Elana Eden


Bus Stop

Bikeworldtravel / Shutterstock

"OurBus, a tech company specializing in crowd-sourced intercity and commuter bus routes, is expanding service in the Northeast and Texas," reports Metro Magazine.

OurBus launched in 2017 in New York as apparently the first company to create bus routes by crowdsourcing. Now the company is making permanent some of its more successful "pop-up routes" between Austin, Dallas, and Houston, as well as from D.C. to Norfolk, VA. It's also adding service between Rochester, New York City, D.C., Pittsburgh, and Clifton.

In addition to abandoning the point-to-point service model, the startup also differs from traditional transit agencies in that it doesn't own any buses. Yahoo Finance explained when the company launched, "It supplies only the technology and software to existing bus companies—usually charter bus companies whose buses aren’t being used to their full capacity." Rider fare also fluctuates based on demand for a particular route, Yahoo reported.

Tuesday, December 18, 2018 in Metro Magazine

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

View of mountains with large shrubs in foreground in Altadena, California.

Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire

In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.

March 9 - Pasadena NOw

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

March 9 - Axios

Close-up of row of electric cars plugged into chargers at outdoor station.

Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives

A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.

March 9 - UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation