Transit (app)

Transit
Developer(s)Transit
Initial release2012; 12 years ago (2012)
Operating systemAndroid, iOS
TypeGPS navigation software
Websitetransitapp.com

Transit is a mobile app providing real-time public transit data. The app functions in over 175 metropolitan areas around the world.

Description

Transit was designed for aggregating and mapping real-time public transit data[1] as well as crowdsourcing user data to determine the true location of buses and trains. Transit was first released in 2012 for iPhone and soon after launched the Android-compatible version.

The app offers users schedules and alerts for multiple modes of transportation where available, including bus and rail. Transit was developed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada by Sam Vermette and Guillaume Campagna[2] with the goal of minimizing the need for individuals to own vehicles in cities.[3]

Transit is in direct competition with other transit mapping services such as Moovit and Citymapper, as well as general mapping services that also provide transit data such as Google Maps, Bing Maps, and Apple Maps.

Current Transit app executives are Chief Executive Officer Sam Vermette and Chief Business Officer David Block-Schachter.[4] In 2018, Transit raised $17.5 million. The majority of investments came from auto manufacturers. The lead investor was Alliance Ventures. Others included Jaguar Land Rover's venture capital fund, InMotion Ventures, Accel, and Real Ventures.[5]

Features

Transit is compatible with car-sharing and ride-hailing apps such as Uber, Lyft, Via, and Ola, along with multiple bike-share systems.[6] In April 2018, the app expanded to include scooter-sharing systems in four American cities.[7] The app provides users with a color-coded system that matches colors with modes of transportation in order for users to quickly associate a color with the mode of transportation they are monitoring.[8]

In February 2019, the Transit app released an update that allows users to look up bus and train schedules for their whole city even without a data connection, or determine if a bike-sharing station has bikes available. Even when users are offline, they are able to find the nearest public transport stops and map their journey.[3]

Supported regions

Transit is supported in 16 countries across the globe including Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, New Zealand, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Within the United States, Transit can be used in 270 regions.[9]

Partners

Transit supports multiple mobile ticketing platforms including Token Transit[10] and Masabi. Users are only required to input their payment information into the app one time, and then able to purchase ride and bike-share passes within the app's interface.

Endorsers

Transit has partnered with some public agencies in Canada and the USA to become their official or endorsed multimodal app.[5] Agencies that have endorsed the app include:

In Canada:

In the USA:

References

  1. ^ Transit (2017-12-13). "Real-time data is now available for ALL New York City subways — thanks to crowdsourcing". Medium. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  2. ^ "Transit - About". transitapp.com. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
  3. ^ a b Peters, Adele (2019-02-25). "This transit app now can figure out your route even if you have no service". Fast Company. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  4. ^ "Transit App Inc". bloomberg.com. 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
  5. ^ a b "Transit App Gets $17.5M to Help Drivers Move Beyond Cars". www.govtech.com. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  6. ^ "Download the App - Ride Toronto with your Smarthone". Bike Share Toronto. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  7. ^ "Transit app now aggregates available electric scooters in 4 cities". Smart Cities Dive. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  8. ^ "Transit: Real-Time Transit App". Download.com. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  9. ^ "Transit - Boston". transitapp.com. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
  10. ^ "Big Blue Bus single passes now available on Transit app". Mass Transit. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  11. ^ "BC Transit - NextRide". www.bctransit.com. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  12. ^ "Introducing Transit, our new favourite app". www.octranspo.com. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  13. ^ "Mobile Services". www.translink.ca. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  14. ^ "Real-Time Arrivals - Bus | Golden Gate". www.goldengate.org. Retrieved 2023-11-20.