The Moovit University Mapathon Program has grown tremendously since we introduced the program in this blog post in May 2017.  After successful programs in Guadalajara (Mexico), Puebla (Mexico), Athens (Greece), Syracuse (NY, USA), and University of Maryland (MD, USA), Moovit has had several Moovit Mapathons, as well as integrated its mapping into the curriculum in additional universities across the U.S. and Italy.

The Moovit University Mapathon Program is a global initiative from Moovit, working with students to help “map” cities in their area for Moovit’s free transit app that serves more than 100 million people across the world. Students use Moovit’s proprietary, specialized Moovit Editor tool to chart routes, stops and other mass transit details for the app.

Participating students join the network of more than 200,000 local Moovit editors who we call Mooviters. With the help of the Mooviters, Moovit is able to add a new city to the app every 15 hours.

Having seen the work in the original universities Moovit launched, students were keen to get involved in their own communities, as well as help Moovit map public transit in cities that would otherwise be underserved.

Moovit has worked with the following universities and colleges recently to launch new cities on the app:

1)Fifteen students from Stanford University, USA mapped Hanford, California that includes 358 stops and 18 lines.

2)Six students from Pace University, USA mapped the Pace University Shuttle which included 4 lines and 9 stops

3)Twenty students from University of California Santa Barbara, USA mapped the Santa Barbara, California transit system which  included 757 stops and 23 lines.

4)Twenty students from Morningside College, USA mapped 448 stops and 10 lines in Sioux City, Iowa

5)Twenty students from University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy mapped over 300 stops in cities near their campus in Rome, including Frascati, Grottaferrata, Rocca di Papa, Monte Porzio Catone and Monte Compatri.

Once the Mapathons are complete, a team of experts at Moovit test the app and ensure that everything is running smoothly before launching these cities on the app.

If you’re interested in learning more about helping your community as an individual, visit our Mooviters website to find out more. If you’re a student or teacher of a university or local club who’s interested in helping improve local transit in your area, visit our Moovit University Program page for more details.

The Moovit University Mapathon Program is a fun and educational experience, providing students with a hands on approach to helping their community as well as gaining experience using technology from the world’s leading transit app. Photos from some of the events can be found below.

Stanford University

University of California Santa Barbara

University of Rome Tor Vergata