Getting to work in the mornings can be a challenge. For those who work in Bedford Park, a village southwest of Chicago, Illinois, getting to work is no easy feat and is nearly impossible to do on public transit – until today. Home to over 27,000 jobs, Bedford Park is an important commercial and industrial hub within Cook County. However, a lack of sufficient last-mile transportation has made the commute tricky, forcing many employees to drive their cars to work, facing congestion on their way in and out of the area.

Now, Bedford Park employees and residents will have a much easier time commuting, thanks to our latest mobility partnership with the Village. The Connect2Work Pilot Program has officially ‘opened for business’, enabling area residents and employees to more easily get to and from their home or workplace.

Partnering with Moovit to provide the region’s first MaaS app, as well as Uber for first/last mile and late-night services, and Via to provide on-demand microtransit, Connect2Work will help riders better plan their daily journeys and offer alternative transportation options to create a more equitable, sustainable transit network in the area. In its role in the program, Moovit will power the Connect2Work MaaS app, offering users one app for all their mobility needs, helping them connect to their preferred mode of travel. 

While 85% of employees take their private cars to work, that isn’t necessarily what they want to do. But between a long, dangerous last-mile walk, few straight bus routes or other multimodal transit options in the area, and the many train crossings on the way, driving had become the de-facto option for the vast majority of employees in the area. 

Using the Connect2Work multimodal urban mobility app, users can now quickly and easily plan their commutes to and from work, with real-time information that saves time and the stress of not knowing when the next bus will arrive. With Moovit, transportation to and from Bedford Park will be infinitely more accessible and will help reduce private car usage in favor of shared mobility and public transit.

There’s no better time to work at reducing traffic congestion than today. With Connect2Work, Bedford Park employees will be able to find new ways to commute and leave the congestion behind, setting an excellent example for similar programs around the world. 

Read more about the partnership here.