New app to wake Londoners up early if travel problems arise

Londoners who commute to work will be woken up early by a new app if travel problems occur overnight.

Londoners to get an app that will wake them early if there are transport problems overnight Image by christopher_brown / CC BY 2.0

Cubic Transportation Systems, the inventors of the Oyster card, are now in the process of producing their advanced version of an “intelligent travel” app system. The NextCity project will be a “single account” which uses millions of pieces of currently unconnected information – from rail and road conditions to bicycle availability – to reduce traffic congestion and take advantage of prevailing  travel conditions.

CityNext could be the next step beyond Oyster cards for London travellers. Image by Mikey / CC BY 2.0

Cubic, the ticketing and fare giant, has a ten year contract worth £660 million with Transport for London to run fare collections. It’s new NextCity is a step beyond such apps as Citymapper because it analyses a traveller’s different choices.

It’s expected that the data will be delivered via an app which for instance could be disseminating different information to suit the tailored requirements of a bus-full of people stuck in traffic. Cubic’s director of external affairs, Martin Howell, said people would need to give some information, such as where you get on and off a bus, in order to get maximum returns from this system.

Travellers on the same London bus could be given different information simultaneously from the new app to suit their varying requirements.
Image by Mike_fleming / CC BY-SA 2.0. Image by Mike_fleming / CC BY-SA 2.0

He added that the app would tell you that you should get up 20 minutes earlier if there are problems overnight but you won’t have to set your alarm as it will wake you up to give you the information.

Cubic is also doing trials on the UK’s first talking ticket machine at Stanstead with rail company, Abellio.