The thought of using public transport will make many groan particularly for those commuting during peak times. However, the University of Porto and Imperial College London state mobile technology can improve the travel experience and overall public transport services.
I didn't think it was possible to enjoy public transport either. So, the question we’re all likely to be pondering now is, how is mobile technology making a difference to the travel experience?
For many, the journey often begins before you even step foot onto public transport and will continue after you've stepped off. Before you get onto public transport – whether it be a bus, train or flight - you will begin to think about what time you should leave at to reach the terminal at the correct time and you will probably find out the different arrival and departure times, taking into account any inconvenient delays that may occur.
Your mobile device can come in very helpful here as a way of conveniently finding out the various arrival and departure times. There are also useful apps available that provide real time information to your mobile as to when transport is due to arrive helping you plan more accurately. Gone are the days of waiting around and not knowing what time you are likely to depart at.
A great advantage this provides is that at least if there are any unexpected delays, you know if you have time to relax and visit a shop, or wait in a café, or grab some food making the most of your time rather than becoming more stressed and anxious as the delay lengthens. More importantly, by knowing when transport is expected to arrive, you can manage any knock on effects on other travel plans and inform relevant parties of any probable delays as well as giving reasonably accurate estimates as to how late you will be.
Mobile can also be used after you have stepped on or off public transport, as a way of finding out when your next connection is due to depart and arrive at your desired destination as well as costs involved. You may also wish to buy tickets online using your mobile device to save valuable time.
There are now many other innovative apps available to help travellers plan their journeys and enhance the travel experience. There is even an app that lets you know how busy your train is allowing you to choose whether or not you wish to get on and chance standing the whole journey or wait for the next train to arrive in order to get a seat and relax. For busy rush hour commutes, this can greatly enhance the travel experience as by giving more information to travellers they are able to decide how they wish to travel and make the important trade-offs between time and comfort rather than having it decided for them.
It is important to remember that mobile technology can not only benefit public transport companies, but also related services such as retailers and restaurants within the terminals. The reason for this is travellers will often have to wait for transport and this gives businesses great opportunities to engage with customers as they have free time.
With mobile payments becoming more popular, the time when travellers can pay fares by mobile is becoming a very real possibility. In the city of Novosibirsk in Russia, you can use your mobile phone to buy a ticket for public transport. By removing the need to queue to buy a ticket from a machine or teller, makes the journey quicker. It also helps improve the experience as it not only means you no longer have to queue, but you no longer need to worry about the time it will take to buy your ticket
Mobile is making public transport more enjoyable by putting customers at the forefront and giving them more accurate information enabling them to better plan their journeys and cut out the ‘waiting around’ time as well as giving them more control over the travel experience. To learn more about the different ways mobile can benefit you, please visit our Transport section for some valuable ideas or simply get in touch.
I didn't think it was possible to enjoy public transport either. So, the question we’re all likely to be pondering now is, how is mobile technology making a difference to the travel experience?
For many, the journey often begins before you even step foot onto public transport and will continue after you've stepped off. Before you get onto public transport – whether it be a bus, train or flight - you will begin to think about what time you should leave at to reach the terminal at the correct time and you will probably find out the different arrival and departure times, taking into account any inconvenient delays that may occur.
Your mobile device can come in very helpful here as a way of conveniently finding out the various arrival and departure times. There are also useful apps available that provide real time information to your mobile as to when transport is due to arrive helping you plan more accurately. Gone are the days of waiting around and not knowing what time you are likely to depart at.
A great advantage this provides is that at least if there are any unexpected delays, you know if you have time to relax and visit a shop, or wait in a café, or grab some food making the most of your time rather than becoming more stressed and anxious as the delay lengthens. More importantly, by knowing when transport is expected to arrive, you can manage any knock on effects on other travel plans and inform relevant parties of any probable delays as well as giving reasonably accurate estimates as to how late you will be.
Mobile can also be used after you have stepped on or off public transport, as a way of finding out when your next connection is due to depart and arrive at your desired destination as well as costs involved. You may also wish to buy tickets online using your mobile device to save valuable time.
There are now many other innovative apps available to help travellers plan their journeys and enhance the travel experience. There is even an app that lets you know how busy your train is allowing you to choose whether or not you wish to get on and chance standing the whole journey or wait for the next train to arrive in order to get a seat and relax. For busy rush hour commutes, this can greatly enhance the travel experience as by giving more information to travellers they are able to decide how they wish to travel and make the important trade-offs between time and comfort rather than having it decided for them.
It is important to remember that mobile technology can not only benefit public transport companies, but also related services such as retailers and restaurants within the terminals. The reason for this is travellers will often have to wait for transport and this gives businesses great opportunities to engage with customers as they have free time.
With mobile payments becoming more popular, the time when travellers can pay fares by mobile is becoming a very real possibility. In the city of Novosibirsk in Russia, you can use your mobile phone to buy a ticket for public transport. By removing the need to queue to buy a ticket from a machine or teller, makes the journey quicker. It also helps improve the experience as it not only means you no longer have to queue, but you no longer need to worry about the time it will take to buy your ticket
Mobile is making public transport more enjoyable by putting customers at the forefront and giving them more accurate information enabling them to better plan their journeys and cut out the ‘waiting around’ time as well as giving them more control over the travel experience. To learn more about the different ways mobile can benefit you, please visit our Transport section for some valuable ideas or simply get in touch.
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