Metrorail Western Cape recently partnered with South African technology start-up company Mobi.Lity to launch Go Metro – a digital resource for commuters travelling by train. The project forms part of Metrorail’s current “programme of action” initiative.
Go Metro provides the commuter with a mobile travel companion. The website delivers train schedules, updates, announcements and other important information – all via the traveller’s mobile phone. Delays or changes to the published schedules are updated immediately.
Usage statistics in the first 30 days:
- 1. Go Metro users totalled 19,159.
- 2. The mobi-team in Metrorail’s control centre effected 19,200 updates.
- 3. User registrations totalled 1,634.
- 4. Compliments, comments, suggestions, error reports and insults received as feedback totalled 1,150.
- 5. Feedback reported how the system was performing and included complaints about staff, stationary trains, broken windows and malfunctioning doors.
- 6. The percentage of users using Blackberry devices to access Go Metro: 74.4%.
On Friday 12 October there was a breakdown in the train service. Unfortunately, Go Metro went down as well. Arrangements were made immediately to avoid this happening again by bringing two additional servers into the picture.
As every individual commuter does not have a smartphone, alternatives are being developed for those who cannot access the internet. The intention is to provide announcements and updates receivable on ordinary cellphones.
Other features planned include:
• Real-time train performance information.
• Full-day searchable schedules for use in journey planning.
• Platform numbers.
• User profiles enabling the saving of favourite trains to individual profiles.
• An anonymous crime-stop report button.
• More news, sports and entertainment content.
• An improved feedback button for ease of reporting problem areas.
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