Intel subsidiary Moovit helped Long Beach Transit (LBT) in California create an app that lets travellers plan their public and shared transit trips with real-time arrival information.

Moovit is an Israeli mobility as a service (MaaS) provider.

As the community emerges from the Covid pandemic and students, commuters and others plan travel, LBT and Moovit want to make the choice easier through the mobility app. Available for iOS and Android, the free app combines official information from LBT, as well as crowdsourced information to calculate the best route for each journey in Long Beach and beyond, with urban mobility options such as bus, light rail, bike share, Uber and Lyft.

The app provides travellers with real-time arrival information so they know exactly when their bus will turn up, a live-directions feature with get-off alerts to provide step-by-step guidance for the entire journey, and service alerts so they can avoid disruptions on usual lines and plan their journey accordingly.

Moovit also incorporates accessibility features, empowering people across the disability spectrum to use public transportation with more assurance.

The app has screen reading features for low vision users, including talk-back and voice-over capabilities, identifies wheelchair-accessible routes and stations, and calculates step-free routes. The app is also designed with menus and buttons for those with hand-motor disabilities.

“The partnership between Long Beach Transit and Moovit will enhance the customer experience and make travel easier,” said LBT CEO Kenneth McDonald. “The partnership addresses a common complaint from customers that they don’t know when their bus will arrive. The Moovit app provides real-time alerts and step-by-step directions to make travel much easier.”

Those using the app will also receive service alerts and communication from LBT. Thousands of LBT users already have the app and will soon receive these alerts from the app already on their phone. 

“Public transit is an essential component of any sustainable urban transportation system,” said Yovav Meydad, Moovit’s marketing officer. “Precise trip planning information helps riders avoid delays and lessen waiting times, making it more attractive. The new web trip planner on Long Beach Transit’s web site, as well as integrating LBT information in the Moovit app, will help make the entire journey experience seamless, more comfortable, and take less time.”

Moovit was acquired by Intel in 2020 to join forces with Mobileye and advance its MaaS strategy. Moovit’s iOS, Android and web apps guide people in getting around town effectively and conveniently, using any mode of transport. Introduced in 2012, it now serves over 950 million users in more than 3400 cities across 112 countries.

Moovit amasses up to six billion anonymous data points a day to add to the world’s largest repository of transit and urban mobility data. For governments, cities, transit agencies and private companies, Moovit offers AI-powered MaaS covering planning, operations and optimisation to help reduce congestion, grow ridership, and increase efficiency and asset use.

LBT provides transportation services in Long Beach, Lakewood and Signal Hill, as well as Artesia, Bellflower, Carson, Cerritos, Compton, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, Los Alamitos, Norwalk, Paramount and Seal Beach.