Helping riders find their way around a new city or the quickest way to get to work isn’t always straightforward. Not just because understanding foreign transit maps can seem impossible and planning trips using multiple apps is cumbersome, but because riders’ needs may change day to day. Enter Citymapper.
Both personalized and global, Citymapper offers a unified and comprehensive way to plan travel that combines modes. Thanks to its extensive knowledge of the transit system in every city where it’s available, its ability to quickly respond to riders’ unique needs, and a best-in-class user experience, Citymapper has captured the hearts of over 50 million users around the world — and is the newest addition to Via’s TransitTech portfolio. So why was Citymapper one of Apple’s App of the Year 5 years in a row?
In every city in which Citymapper operates, the app looks slightly different — icons mimic the local transit vehicles and signage, characters wear the jerseys of beloved sports teams — to ensure riders immediately recognize the transit they’re used to and trust the app itself. But the local feeling goes beyond just looks. The app offers riders tailored trip recommendations that reflect the transit options uniquely available to them and alerts them to any unforeseen service disruptions. Whether it’s choosing a journey that avoids busy roads so they can cycle safely, or one that combines multiple modes to get them to their destination as fast as possible, Citymapper makes transit feel both local and personal.
Custom journey proposals are just the beginning. Citymapper’s transit information has unmatchable reliability and accuracy that keeps riders coming back to the app — and public transit — time and time again. Unlike other trip planning apps, Citymapper’s unique approach is all about curating transit data, not just collecting it.
Citymapper’s data analytics team built a system that cleans up data before feeding it back to riders in real-time. Transit data is collected by Citymapper across thousands of sources and run through a suite of over 30 proprietary tools operated by highly-trained data analysts. The process is constantly improved as Citymapper, and the data analytics team, learns from working with data across hundreds of cities. Citymapper’s process is simultaneously scalable across cities of all sizes and hyper-local, to ensure all riders around the world can benefit from the same level of accuracy. As a result of Citymapper’s data processes, riders can plan trips that get them where they need to go, on time, every time.
Citymapper’s journey planning was built to making planning travel intuitive. The app is constantly learning from rider choices and responding to real road and transit changes to offer optimal journey proposals and routing in an easy to use and extremely detailed experience. The Citymapper team also regularly releases both groundbreaking features and small details that make the app feel personal and delightful to use. Features like night safe walking options, lock screen navigation, and service disruption notifications have helped grow a deeply loyal user base who isn’t shy about bringing their friends on board.
Want to learn more about how Citymapper can help grow ridership in your city? Reach out to us!
