Trip planning
Trip planning apps for getting from A to B via public transportation are nothing new, but with added functionality, riders can get information that will help them make smarter decisions on their commutes. Many cities are operating their public transportation at half capacity as they begin to resume regular service but rely mainly on riders to abide by those guidelines. Google and Apple have made mobility data publicly accessible, allowing transit authorities to predict capacity at specific times throughout the day and incorporate that into trip-planning apps and within stations and stops. Some cities also have weight systems that inform capacity of each car.
The city of Auckland, New Zealand feeds data from riders tapping on and off buses and trains with their transit cards to their trip-planning app in order to show how many seats are available. Riders are also encouraged to register their charge cards to help with contact tracing. With the app, riders can find the best route to their destination, track their bus or train in real time and get notifications when their bus is one stop away and when it’s time to get off. In Los Angeles, the city’s app integrates 25 transit systems on one platform and can provide riders with suggestions and incentives for taking alternate modes of transportation during peak hours.
Train and bus timetables and real-time tracking augmented with capacity data will allow riders to make better decisions on when to leave, which train to board, when to exit and whether to switch to a different mode of transportation—preventing crowds from forming and riders from spending unnecessary time on public transport.