Transport app Citymapper is launching a subscription service that will help people travel across London more easily. The service will consolidate what is a fairly complicated transport system – especially in terms of cost – and meet traveller expectations for getting from A to B as simply as possible.
Users of the Citymapper Pass will get unlimited access to Transport for London (TfL) rail, bus and tram services, as well as trips on Santander bikes. Citymapper is initially offering two subscription packages, costing £30 and £40 (subject to tweaks). The cheaper package will grant unlimited journeys on the TfL network across zones one and two, as will the £40 package, which will also include unlimited rides on Santander bikes and two journeys on Citymapper's Uber Pool-style 'Ride' service. "The idea is to make public transport effortless. The way our app makes it easy to plan, we want to make it easy to pay," says Azmat Yusuf, Citymapper's founder.
London has the most expensive transport network for any city in the world, with a monthly ticket costing on average £135 ($174), compared to New York City at £91 ($118) and Tokyo at £84 ($111). The high prices do not exactly reflect the quality of service London, especially on commuter options, which form a large part of the network. What's more, the pricing structure for multiple-service use is confusing, even after schemes like the 'Hopper fare' was introduced on TfL buses. But while the Citymapper Pass represents an opportunity to make intra-city travel easier, consolidated travel systems can help brands predict how their users will travel, and offer them more optimised services. "They'll be able to help coordinate a person’s Uber service with the train service, or where they leave a bike and so forth," says Dr Oded Cats, an assistant professor in transport and planning at DUT.
Lucia Seoane-Pampin is a behavioural analyst at Canvas8, which specialises in behavioural insights and consumer research. Born and raised in Spain, she loves experiencing different cultures and emotional expressions. She studied psychology and communications in Boston and has a master’s in digital & visual media.
