Moovit
For people that use public trasnportation a lot, or who rarely use it but need to on occasion, it can be difficult at times to figure out where you need to be to get where you need to go. Which route to choose, which stops to wait at, and times of departure can all be pretty daunting, and can slightly change on the whim. Fortunately, there is an app for that. Moovit is designed to track the current public transit routes and travel times. A user simply needs to input a destination, allow the app to track current location, and pick a route that they would prefer to take. Once it transit, a user can run the route, and it will track your current location and all the stops in between where you started and where you want to go, noticing you how many stops left and when you should request your stop. There is also a feature to allow you to request Uber rides.
- Live transit app, allowing for live trip tracking and planning on public transportation within a metro area.
- Detailed view of stations and services available within the current location.
- The app is easy to navigate, with a tab for directions, stations, and lines. The directions tab allows for the input of a home and work address, for those who have locations that they frequently travel from. On this page is also the place to order an Uber and set the destination you want to go to. This is a large search bar that, when you tap and start typing, it will suggest locations that match your query and, when one is selected, will behave much like Apple Maps or Google Maps, allowing to adjust a destination and departure location, and a map that shows the routes available. From here a user taps the button that says find routes and selects the option they prefer, with estimated trip durations.
- I find this very useful when figuring out which routes to take when on a time crunch. There are also features for choosing a departure time or arrival time, in addition to the start and end locations, so you can quickly choose a transit route that runs at the time you want to leave or arrive at without having to figure this part out manually. These can be previewed a few days prior to your trip, so you can have plenty of time to plan before hand.
- The other tabs are more of general items that probably won’t be used as often, displaying where all the public stations are within your current location, and all the available services within the city for manually choosing a route.
- The only real issue I have with the app is that it doesn’t adapt well to sudden changes in routes. It will not notify you of stops that are under construction nor will it aid in letting you know where to get off if you miss your stop.
- Furthermore, the app only works within the current location and search the current location, whereas some other apps will allow you to also view other metro areas. This is a beneficial feature for planning trips when you are away and trying to navigate other metros.