Urban mobility app provider Moovit has launched two new features to illustrate how busy a bus is and if that bus features wheelchair access.
New real-time crowding information will be available within the Moovit app from more than 65 transit agencies across the USA, Canada, Australia, Italy and Singapore.
The app now displays available seats, standing room only, or crowded in the itinerary. It also features live directions, stations, line details and favourite lines screens.
Yovav Meydad, Moovit’s chief growth and marketing officer, said: “Real-time crowding information eliminates another layer of uncertainty from public transit, especially important during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Knowing in advance if there will be a seat on the bus gives riders the knowledge, they need to make decisions that they are comfortable with when riding mass transit. This feature is also useful for parents with strollers who may need a place to sit, during or after the pandemic.”
Additionally, a second new feature shows wheelchair accessible buses, lines, routes, and stations. For this latest edition of the app, Moovit said it has redesigned the wheelchair symbol to show “a more dynamic and engaged person with disability in motion”.
Transit agencies in Hong Kong, China, Curitiba, Brazil and Guayaquil, Ecuador are currently working with Moovit so that local users can see this information available in the app.
Furthermore, the app is enhanced with screen reading features for low-vision users, including talk-back and voice-over capabilities. It is also designed with optimised menus and buttons for people with hand-motor disabilities.
Meyda added: “Having one app that shows wheelchair accessible lines, routes, and stations can be life changing for wheelchair users.
“A vehicle that is not accessible could make getting around impossible, but a single app that makes journey planning more streamlined and simple can open up new opportunities for them.”
