DETROIT, MI - A recent report found that Detroit is behind a majority of big U.S. cities when it comes to high-tech transportation options.

The study conducted by the Michigan arm of the U.S. Public Interest Group found that Detroit tied for 40th place among the nation's 70 largest cities.

The report focussed on cities where new high-tech options can reduce the need for a car by comparing "the presence of these new technologies, including ride sourcing services like Uber and Lyft, car sharing services like Zipcar, bike share and ride sharing systems, apps for navigating public transit and hailing taxis, and virtual ticket purchasing, among others."

According to the report, titled "The Innovative Transportation Index: The Cities Where New Technologies and Tools Can Reduce Your Need to Own a Car," there are ten "service" providers in Detroit, which means that there are ten companies offering any of the 11 high-tech options PIRG surveyed.

However, the 10 providers in Detroit only cover six of the options.

The top-ranked city, Austin, Texas, had 18 companies providing the services, and offered all 11 services surveyed.

Detroit tied with Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, which made it one of 34 "growing cities".

The study notes how technology makes it more convenient for "more Americans to live full and engaged live without owning a car."

"None of these options even existed a few years ago, and the trend is just beginning," Annalise Dobbelstein, one of the report organizers, said in a release. "Technological advances are giving people new and convenient ways to get around more freely without having to own a car."

Detroit has round-trip car sharing options, like ZipCar, Lyft and Uber presences in the city, and real-time transit tracking apps. Though there are privately-run bike sharing programs for Rock Ventures employees downtown, Detroit lacks a a municipal bike share program.

The city is also void of any apps that allow commuters to buy virtual tickets for busses or the Detroit People Mover.

That could change eventually, as officials with the M-1 Rail project said last week they are looking into smartphone apps that would function as transit passes for the city once the rail is up and running in 2016.

According to a release, the study also found that when the services are used together "they are more than the sum of their parts."

Someone riding public transportation will want to know other complementary ways to get around.

"Having a suite of options allows people to spontaneously choose the most convenient option for them," the release stated.

Robert Prud'honne, board member from Transportation Riders United, said in the release that "Detroit has started to implement these technologies to expand transportation options for residents of the city, but there is still work to do.

"To encourage people to stay in Detroit and grow our city, we need to further diversify our transportation investments."

Ultimately, more of the high-tech services will help Americans lessen their dependence on cars.

M-1 Rail, which is expected to be up and running in 2016, will further expand those options.

Once completed, M-1 Rail will be a 3.3 mile-long loop along Woodward Avenue, stretching from Downtown to Detroit's New Center neighborhood.

M-1 Rail announced early in November that Czech Republic-based tram and streetcar designer Inekon Group will design and build six custom streetcars for the M-1 Rail project.

The contract for the streetcars is valued at $30 million.

The double-ended, double-sided streetcars will each be 73 feet long, 8.5 feet wide and 13 feet high, weighing about 76,000 pounds.

Each car will be operator-driven, and will be equipped with battery packs, which will enable the cars to run 60 percent off-wire.

Ian Thibodeau is the entertainment and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. He can be reached at ithibode@mlive.com, or follow him on Twitter.