Commuters in Tshwane are the first to receive the newest release of the urban transportation and journey planner app, Findmyway, which offers a point-to-point journey planner integrating public and alternate modes of transport.
The latest version of the Findmyway app will allow commuters to choose between all available routes and public transport options, simply by entering their destination.
Based on live data from participating transport operators in the city, Findmyway presents the user with the various routes and modes they can take, arranged by cost or travel time. With a few clicks, users can quickly and easily choose the best route for them, locate themselves on the map, and even search for nearby points of interest such as shops, museums, or restaurants.
WhereIsMyTransport (WIMT), a South African-based start-up focused on providing innovative transport solutions for cities at home and abroad, will release Findmyway in conjunction with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)’s Earth Hour City Challenge.
The Challenge takes the form of a race across the city to promote sustainable movement and environmental awareness, and racers will use the app to plan routes with the least carbon emissions.
\WIMT co-founder Devin de Vries explains: “Sustainability and inclusion are at the heart of our mission at WIMT. With Findmyway, we are proud to bring integrated public transport to South Africa’s commuters, and our partnership with the WWF and the City of Tshwane is part of that.”
Users in Tshwane will be able to explore their transport options and their city, while also learning about environmental concerns and the mission of the WWF: “This is exactly the kind of thing that speaks to the biggest obstacle to people using public transport: they need integrated information at their fingertips. This way, we tackle climate together,” says Louise Naude of the WWF.
Because Findmyway draws on live data from relevant transport operators in a city, commuters are able to make informed choices, and smaller, lesser-known operators are better able to enter the system. Commuter dissatisfaction is rife, and many people avoid public transport because of its unpredictability and their inability to plan trips. South Africa has some of the longest commutes in the world, which take a toll on commuter and environment alike.
“We wanted to give commuters real choice, and cities real insight into commuter needs,” says De Vries. “The solution has to start with access for commuters, access to information, to movement, and to their cities.”
Findmyway includes an interface where commuters can communicate directly with government about delays, accidents, or service delivery, and cities can make announcements to update users about road conditions or closures.
The Findmyway App is currently in Beta testing in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela Bay, Tshwane, Durban & Buffalo City, with many future versions in the works.
Findmyway can be found in any App store, and at findmywayapp.com