San Francisco (TAN): California’s Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has rolled out a multi-modal trip planning app that travellers can use to navigate anywhere within the San Francisco Bay Area using different modes of transport.
Ravi Misra, Chief Information Officer, BART, said: “The new Trip Planner takes the hassle out of commuting because it provides a complete look at someone’s journey and offers a variety of ways to avoid traffic.”
“All trips use BART as the lynchpin of the itinerary and then make it easy to get to and from our stations using the various modes of transport the Bay Area offers,” he added.
BART developed the travel planner in collaboration with German company HaCon, whose software processes transit data from over 30 operators comprising trains, buses, ferries and cable cars.
“With its forward-thinking approach to offering multimodal travel chains, BART is one of the first United States transit agencies to provide complete end-to-end itineraries. The new BART Trip Planner is one of the first big steps into Mobility as a Service (MaaS) in the United States,” said HaCon CEO Michael Frankenberg.T
The trip planner shares real-time information
While the planner is available on iOS, Android and online, it shares real-time information with users. It considers walking, cycling, car routes, and traffic situation so that users get a realistic evaluation of their journeys.
BART is using HaCon’s HIM tool so that the app responds to disruptions faster and with greater precision. Real-time alerts on station closures, bus replacement services, or messages related to stations or trips are expected to enable the app re-route passenger commute.
The app also shows train load information so that passengers can opt for less crowded trains. While the planner allows commuters to choose their favourite modes of transport, ‘drive to transit’ and ‘bike to transit’ options deliver information on car and bicycle parking at BART stations.
BART and HaCon plan to offer more modes over the next phases, including ride and cycle sharing.
