Israeli mobility app Moovit recently announced that it has surpassed half a billion users in 3,000 cities worldwide and is now making it even easier to track buses.
The company’s first of two new features displays an icon of a bus moving on the Moovit map in realtime so that riders can follow their vehicle as it approaches their stop or destination. The feature only works for buses with GPS installed.
The second new feature sends users directions to their favorite locations as soon as the app is opened. For example, when you launch the app, Moovit will have already calculated the best directions from where you are now to a location such as home or work that you previously marked as a favorite.
Both features were developed in response to requests from users and will roll out initially in Israel, Moovit’s home base, and then gradually to the 520 million Moovit users around the world.
Moovit launched in 2012 and has grown to provide public transportation arrival times in 3,000 cities in 92 countries and in 45 languages. The company employs 150 people worldwide and is currently recruiting another 20 staff members. (If working in the Tel Aviv area for a hot mobility startup sounds enticing, you can apply here).
“Moovit continues to invest in upgrading the travel experience and grows daily at a fast and completely organic rate,” said Yovav Meydad, Moovit’s Chief of Growth and Marketing.
“In just the last three months, 80 million people have begun using Moovit’s iOS, Android, or Web platforms around the world. We estimate that by 2021 we will reach one billion Moovit users, and will provide guidance for all modes of transport in thousands of additional cities globally.”
In London, Denver, Boston, Sydney and most recently in Chicago, Moovit displays public transportation information on the popular ridesharing app Uber.
The Moovit app is free for users; the company makes money by selling “mobility-as-a-service” tools to cities, governments and transit operators. More than 7,000 public transportation operators are on the app, which has mapped an impressive 5.6 million transit stops around the world.