App of the week: Moovit

Welcome back to our weekly spotlight on helpful apps. We focus on a variety of products that are useful for work, personal use, or both, providing our own thoughts on the apps and what you can do with them. This week we plan stress-free journeys with Moovit.

An intro to Moovit
Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play, Moovit puts everything you need to know about public transportation into a single app. With GPS-enabled technology, you can get step-by-step directions from your location to wherever you want to get. Plus, you can find out your nearest station and get status updates on the lines you need to take.

Our review
Moovit is a great little piece of kit, especially if you’re not familiar with the train you’re on or the route you’re taking. Once you tap in where you want to go, the app gives you several route options to choose from with different modes of public transport. As your journey progresses, the GPS data tracks your location and gives you ‘Get Off’ notifications so you don’t miss your stop. It also updates your estimated arrival time throughout the trip and lets you know when you’re near your destination.

It’s pretty simple to use and you can customise the whole experience to your preferences – so you don’t have to receive notifications if you don’t need them. A really great feature is the ability to have the app running in the background, meaning you can look at other apps or keep your phone in your pocket to save the battery and you’ll still get notifications if you’ve got them enabled.

The app operates in more than 1200 cities around the world, according to the website, which makes it a very nice tool for people jet setting around the globe on business travel.

The verdict
The only thing I feel is missing from Moovit is the ability to save journeys so they’re available offline (as Citymapper does), but that doesn’t detract from the user experience. You can save your favourite places, such as work and home, so you can just open the app and start your journey with one tap.

The notifications are really handy, and I really like the fact that I can download local transport maps. The location feature is great if you haven’t got a clue where you are or which station you need to get to, as the app will tell you exactly how to get to where you’re going.

Download Moovit or use the web app at moovitapp.com