Top Public Transportation Startups in 2026

Culdesac Tempe — the first car-free neighborhood built from scratch in the U.S. — will be home to over 1,000 people. We’ve pulled out the parking lots to make room for acres of greenspace, friendly courtyards, and shops right at your doorstep. We’re bringing together services like ridesharing, bikes, scooters, and same-day grocery delivery, so zero private cars means zero hassle. Plus, an on-site light rail stop makes it a breeze to get downtown for work.

Welcome to Zipcar. Zipcar is the world's largest car sharing and car club service. It is an alternative to traditional car rental and car ownership. Save money - Zipcar covers gas, insurance, parking, and maintenance for a potential savings of $600/month over car ownership. Cars near you - Zipcars live in your local neighborhood, and in cities, campuses and airports across the globe. Drive on-demand - No waiting in line at the counter. (No need to even search for your keys!) Just book and go. Go beyond public transit - Zipcar is the perfect complement to the bus and train—whether it’s local errands or weekend adventures.

Jawnt connects people to their cities by making transportation available to everyone. We do this today by helping organizations distribute transportation passes and information to their members. Our innovative transportation technology powers everything from an enterprise company’s commuter benefits program to universal mobility programs for low-income residents. Jawnt is supported by world-class investors and notable angels including Crossbeam Ventures; Mucker Capital; Triple Impact Capital; Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code; and more.

Transit solves the commute in 200 cities around the world. Right on launch, it displays all nearby transport options and departure times in big text and bright colors. Users can easily navigate their city with accurate real-time predictions, simple trip planning, step-by-step navigation, and disruption notifications. Plus, Transit integrates other transport modes — bikesharing, carsharing and ridehailing — so users can determine the best way to get from A to B. Counting millions of active users in the US and Canada, Transit has emerged as the leading urban transport app in North America. Read more about the app's features: transitapp.com Transit works in 200 cities including NYC, Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Vancouver, Washington DC, and Philadelphia. See the full list on transitapp.com/regions

Swiftly develops enterprise software to help transit agencies and cities improve urban mobility. Built by transportation experts for transportation professionals, the Swiftly platform harnesses billions of data points and sophisticated algorithms to improve transit system performance, service reliability, and real-time passenger information. Over 50 cities from coast to coast use Swiftly’s technology platform, improving transportation services for millions of riders each day. Swiftly is backed by leading mobility investors, including Ford Smart Mobility, Samsung NEXT, Via ID, and RATP Dev.

FlixBus is a European long distance mobility provider with headquarters in Munich, Berlin, Milan, Paris and Zagreb. Since 2013, FlixBus have offered a new, convenient and green way to travel which suits every budget. Thanks to a smart business model and innovative technology, the startup has established Europe’s largest intercity bus network in less than four years and has no intention of stopping to expand anytime soon.

Proterra designs and manufactures zero-emission vehicles that enable bus fleet operators to reduce operating costs and deliver clean, quiet transportation to the community. Proterra has developed the world’s most efficient battery electric bus, allowing bus fleets to have zero emissions or direct environmental impact. Proterra uses an on-route charging system that charges buses in as little as 5 minutes, enabling a bus fleet to have infinite range while still remaining environmentally friendly.

Knaq is a universal, easy-to-install tool that maximizes efficiency across your portfolio. Knaq is the developer of a cloud-based remote monitoring and predictive maintenance platform for industrial equipment such as elevators, escalators, moving walkways, HVAC systems, generators, compressors, hydraulic pumps, and more. The company develops data collection hardware coupled with cloud-based analytics and real-time monitoring capabilities to provide visibility into equipment operation. This increased visibility is facilitates reduced costs, increased labor productivity, and better quality of service for critical infrastructure and properties.

We are building the world's first AI-based platform to run demand responsive bus transit. With a few taps, passengers can request a ride at any time of the day. They are matched with passengers going in a similar direction and a full-sized bus is dispatched to serve them. Each passenger is told which bus stop to get to, when to be there and what time they'll be at their destination. We use a blend of classical optimization techniques and reinforcement learning to dynamically route full-sized buses in real time. These optimal routes boost operating margins for transit operators and save time for passengers.