From today, Metro passengers will find it easier to plan bus trips and get information with the release of a new suite of technical products.
These include a new mobile App, a redesigned website, and a customer touchscreen. Minister for Infrastructure Rene Hidding announced the technology upgrades at the Metro Shop in the Hobart Elizabeth Street bus mall.
“Mobile and tablet devices currently account for 60% of all traffic to the Metro website. These innovations bring Metro into line with other national public transport providers and make it easier for people to find information about bus services across the State,” Mr Hidding said.
He said the new technology tools have been created with the customer in mind, and make it easier for both tourists and Tasmanians to get around using public transport.
“The App provides a personalised Journey Planner rather than timetable based information. This allows users to find the right bus based on their start and end points rather than having to scan complex timetables for this information,” Mr Hidding said.
Users can set their favourite home and work locations and save a trip start and end point combination (home to work, work to home). They can also access real time alerts and notices, and top up their Greencard using the App.
The website is customer-centric, and features easier to read timetables, information on school services and wheelchair accessible buses, as well as route information to popular tourist attractions for visitors to the State.
The customer touchscreen, which will be located in the Metro Shop window, gives passengers easy access to timetables and route information, and can be accessed after hours. It will also feature the same tourist information available on the website as well as more generic tourism information on Tasmania.
“We want to make it easier for everyone to use Metro buses, which in turn, helps reduce traffic congestion and pollution,” Mr Hidding said.
The App is presently only available on iOS platforms (such as iPhones & iPads) as these are the devices most widely used to access the Metro Tasmania website. However, Android and Windows phone users will still benefit from a mobile-enabled website that will scale to fit the screen size available on all devices.
Mr Hidding said that all travellers will receive an improved experience based on the revamped website whether they are accessing the site on mobile, tablet or desktop browsers.
He said the technology upgrades went a long way to addressing some of the recommendations of a Tasmanian Audit Office Report on Metro Tasmania service quality, in relation to the provision of information to customers.