Millions of people commute to work each day. Whether you’re driving yourself or taking public transit, these apps can help you make the most of your journey.
Commutation apps offer real-time information on traffic conditions, road closures, and alternative routes. Some also integrate public transportation schedules seamlessly. They can save you time by predicting arrival times and recommending the best routes.
Citymapper
The definitive Google Maps alternative in the non-driving navigation space, Citymapper is a powerful urban mobility tool that helps users navigate cities efficiently. It optimizes journeys based on price and timing, and shows real-time data on public transport such as bus or train delays. For example, the app shows you which section of a subway train to take to get closer to your stop so that you don’t have to walk as far down the platform.
It also allows you to share your ETA with friends through its GO feature, making it easier for commuters to communicate with one another on social media. In addition, Citymapper supports screen readers and voice commands to facilitate accessibility. And it is a remarkably intelligent app that constantly learns from and responds to passenger choices as well as road and transport changes to improve its journey-planning process.
Waze
Waze is a popular car navigation app that analyzes road conditions 24/7 and instantly updates routes to show you the fastest way to your destination. It also features a variety of customization options for your avatar that other drivers will see on the map (including a Formula One race car and motorbike) as well as “moods” to lighten things up during your drive.
The app uses crowdsourced data from users to report traffic jams, road hazards, and cheap gas stations in real-time. It can even warn you of radar-wielding police or upcoming sharp curves, speed bumps, and railroad crossings.
However, Waze only works for cars and motorbikes and lacks support for public transportation or walking/cycling routes. Google Maps, on the other hand, is able to more accurately anticipate road conditions and provides directions for all types of transportation.
Transit App
A popular public transit app in Canada, Transit is an all-in-one travel companion. It offers real-time bus and train arrival times based on transponder information, as well as trip planning, step-by-step navigation, service disruption alerts, departure alarms, and so much more.
It also lets users customize their settings, and can compare routes side-by-side. Favorite routes are automatically shown on the home screen. And with GO, passengers can crowdsource real-time ETAs by reporting their progress, earning points and a “helpfulness rank” on the leaderboards.
Having the right transportation apps can make or break your daily commute. Aside from providing relevant travel data, an effective commuting app should also be able to monitor traffic conditions and provide riders with alternative routes and modes of transport. Ideally, it should also be able to support multiple modes of transportation—buses, trains, subways, and even ride-sharing services.
Moovit
Moovit is a one-stop shop journey experience that allows riders to access comprehensive transit information from their mobile phone, including optimal bus, train, metro or ferry routes. It also provides “get off now” notifications at stops, micromobility options like dockless bikes and e-scooters as well as Uber integration for journeys that can’t be completed by transit. With Denver to Vail shuttle costs on the rise, Moovit can help commuters find more affordable alternatives.
Using both crowdsourced and official data, Israel-based Moovit is used by cities and transit agencies around the world. Its Smart Cards feature populates travel suggestions based on user location, previous app activity, time of day and day of week, plus locations saved as favorites.
Users can get real-time arrivals and live directions for lines, stations and buses; purchase and validate transit tickets from within the app; and share their trips with SafeRide, which allows friends or family to track a rider’s progress, ETA and location through an easy-to-use interface. It also offers accessibility features including optimized screen reading, talkback/voiceover capabilities, and wheelchair-accessible routes and stations.
Google Maps
Whether you need directions, bus and train schedules or opening hours at your local hardware store, Google Maps can help. But it’s also packed with features you might not know about – some of them are hidden away and others are recent additions that have flown under the radar for many users.
These new tools can be a game changer when it comes to your commute. For example, the app can notify you of daily traffic conditions before you set out – helping you manage your time.
You can also use Maps to download routes for offline use (it’s a menu option under the three dots). This is especially helpful when traveling in areas with poor or no cell service. Plus, you can share your real-time location with friends and family if you like.
Google Keep
Google Keep is a digital bulletin board with options for organizing notes, lists and reminders. It’s easy to shuffle and prioritize items with its grid and list views, color coding, pinning (for highly important notes) and labels. The app also syncs between phones, tablets and computers. It can even capture and transcribe audio notes. This helps if you’re working during your commute and need to quickly search for specific terms or paragraphs, or to share transcriptions with others.
This is a free app, though it does use your Google account’s storage for notes. Syncing with other Google apps is an added bonus. Devon Delfino is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer who covers personal finance, culture, politics and identity. Follow her on Twitter at @devondelfino. Her work has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue and Business Insider.
Blinkist
The app Blinkist offers summaries of books for people who are short on time. They’ve been doing it since 2012, transforming dense, weighty tomes into bite-size insights that can be read or listened to in 15 minutes.
Rather than relying on algorithms to create book explainers, the team of over 200 highly qualified people read and edit each pack of blinks. The app has over 5,000 titles with new ones added every month to inspire people to learn new things and expand their horizons.
The clutter-free interface is easy to navigate and syncs across devices. Plus, the audio quality is great and highlights are saved for later reading. This makes it easy to pick up knowledge on the go and retain the information. The pros clearly outweigh the cons, and with an affordable subscription, it’s worth trying out.
Uber
The Uber app has several crucial features that make it an ideal ride-sharing solution. For example, it allows passengers to save frequently visited locations, such as home or the office, and add custom names like “My Starbucks” or “My Parents’ House”.
The ride-hailing app also displays drivers in the vicinity with their car type and estimated time of arrival. Plus, riders can track their driver in real-time on a map as they make their way to the pickup location.
The app also maintains records of past rides, which can be used for expense tracking or reimbursement purposes. Furthermore, users can reschedule their Uber rides up to 30 days ahead of time. The app also offers multiple payment options, including credit and debit cards. This provides peace of mind and convenience for both riders and drivers. Additionally, Uber drivers usually drive newer, cleaner cars and are incentivized to keep them in excellent condition.
StubHub
The StubHub app allows individuals to sell their tickets to a variety of events. Often, these tickets are premium seats for big-name concerts, sporting events, or theatre shows. In addition, the service offers a ticket guarantee that promises buyers will receive the right tickets to an event or their money back.
It is impressive how StubHub brings into the digital realm a quintessentially high-touch physical world of tickets, point-of-sale systems, FedEx shipping, and buyers and sellers. They do so with an impressive amount of scalability that relies on deep electronic integration with organizations and a Lifecycle Bus abstraction layer to move complex business processes out of the application space. The StubHub app also includes a Pricing Assistant that recommends a specific price when listing your tickets for sale. It does so by analyzing demand data and historical performance information.
Lyft
Whether you’re heading to the airport, going out for the night or running errands in a rush, there’s a Lyft option that fits your needs. Get there on time with scheduled rides, and save money by sharing a ride with someone going the same way as you.
Lyft is committed to making sure its team members have a healthy work-life balance and are happy in their jobs. That’s why it offers a generous paid time off program, flexible schedules and other benefits that make it one of the best companies for work-life balance.
Women and nonbinary riders can now toggle on a new feature that prioritizes matching them with drivers who identify as female or nonbinary. This is an effort to improve safety and encourage more female drivers to drive with Lyft. A variety of other features are also available, including Wait & Save and Priority Pickup.