Moovit, an Intel company, a leading Mobility as a Service (MaaS) solutions provider and creator of the #1 urban mobility app, is launching two new features to help riders more easily plan their journeys and get around with confidence. New real-time crowding information available in the Moovit will help people still relying on public transit to keep their social distance and feel more safe riding it. As of today, more than 65 transit agencies across the US, Canada, Australia, Italy and Singapore are showing their real-time crowding information in the Moovit app. The second new Moovit feature shows wheelchair accessible buses, empowering wheelchair users a single app for easy journey planning, and all the information needed to get from A to B with wheelchair accessible lines, routes, and stations.

These days, many public transit riders experience anxiety over whether they will be able to properly maintain social distance once on board. Moovit’s 2020 Global Public Transport Report, based on big data analyzed from tens of millions of trip requests, with user research in 104 cities across 28 countries, found that due to COVID-19, 33% of public transit riders around the world want to know how crowded their next bus is, before they board. This information helps riders feel more comfortable riding public transportation and it can potentially save lives.

To solve this gap, Moovit is rolling out real-time crowding information to inform riders about how empty or full their approaching bus is, allowing them to make educated decisions and feel safer riding mass transportation. Transit agencies such as Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Los Angeles Department of Transportation are now displaying occupancy levels of lines to Moovit users, as well as over 60 other agencies across the US, Canada, Australia, Italy, and Singapore. 

Considering that riders usually tend to ask themselves “I wonder if I’ll get a seat” as their vehicle is arriving, Moovit has taken the approach of answering their immediate question by displaying Available Seats, Standing Room Only, or Crowded in the Itinerary, Live Directions, Stations, Line Details and Favorite Lines screens. 

“Real-time crowding information eliminates another layer of uncertainty from public transit, especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic” said Yovav Meydad, Moovit’s Chief Growth and Marketing Officer. “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.”

Moovit is also rolling out the ability to view wheelchair accessible buses, with the wheelchair symbol redesigned by Moovit to show a more dynamic and engaged person with disability in motion. This new feature is in addition to the wheelchair-accessible routes and stations that Moovit already identifies, offering people using wheelchairs one app to more easily plan an entirely wheelchair accessible journey on public transportation — lines, routes, and stations. Transit agencies in Hong Kong; Curitiba, Brazil; and Guayaquil, Ecuador are now working with Moovit so that local users can see this information available in the app. 

Moovit empowers people across the disability spectrum to use public transportation with more assurance. The app is enhanced with screen reading features for low vision users, including TalkBack/VoiceOver capabilities, and is designed with optimized menus and buttons for people with hand-motor disabilities.

“Having one app that shows wheelchair accessible lines, routes, and stations can be life changing for wheelchair users,” continued Meydad. “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.”

Any transit agencies or operators that would like to contribute real-time crowding and wheelchair accessible information to Moovit can get in touch at partnerships@moovit.com

Moovit is available to download on Google Play and the App Store.