moovit

A single mobility solution will bring together a full range of transport options for city travellers as part of a partnership between global technology giant Microsoft, mobility information service Moovit and TomTom.

The trip planner identifies all driving, parking, and public transit options, which are aggregated into a single package for map users. It is aimed at supporting developers building new smartphone apps or services that help consumers to plan urban travel.

The solution uses transport provider data from Moovit, combined with driving and parking information from TomTom, to show options for completing a journey on public transport, on foot, by vehicle, including car sharing, or on a scooter or bike. This integrates with Azure Maps from Microsoft.

The companies say that no other urban mobility solution offers real-time drive, park, and transit information within one trip planner.

Moovit is already a leader in travel information as a provider of one of the world’s most popular mobility apps. It launched in 2012 and now has 350 million users.

Every day, it manages more than 5 million trip plan requests and generates more than 40 million itinerary options for its users.

It has created the world’s largest source of transit data, which is enhanced through data gathering by a network of 550,000 local editors, who help map and maintain local transit information in cities where public information is not available.

Moovit is available for free on smartphones and the web, covering more than 2,700 cities, across 88 countries, with 44 languages offered. It was also the official transit app of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Moovit co-founder and CEO Nir Erez said: “This will lead to commuters having the best option to plan a trip combining legs on public transit, ride-sharing, bike or scooter, and other legs by car, including finding available parking lot spaces in real-time.”

The new partnership enhances a deal between Microsoft and Moovit announced last year.

Chris Pendleton, head of Azure Maps, said: “Cities have experienced rising urban sprawl, where residents of metropolitan areas have been pushed out towards suburban areas, often beyond the limits of public transit lines.

“With most jobs still residing in densely populated cities, the typical commute is becoming multi-modal: requiring the suburbanite to first drive to a public transit stop and continue their commute on a train, bus, scooter or bike. The number of decisions that fall on the commuter to make are also greater than ever before – from choosing between transit options to estimating parking availability- and this solution lifts that burden from them by tackling complete first-mile and last-mile routing.

“Blending TomTom’s location and parking data with Moovit’s multi-modal trip planning gives Azure Maps an unprecedented view of every facet of urban mobility. No one else has provided this comprehensive level of service in one solution.”

TomTom managing director Anders Truelsen added: “Location data has become more relevant and important than ever before. Our location technologies power individuals, businesses and cities to be more sustainable and get to places efficiently and safely – creating a better world.”

TomTom recently announced it was selling its telematics fleet management business to tyre manufacturer Bridgestone for €910 million ($1 billion), so it could focus more resources on developing mapping technology linked to mobility solutions.