Metlink Unveils Major Improvements And New Features To The Metlink App And Website

Somar Digital in partnership with Metlink - the provider of bus, rail, and ferry transport in the Wellington region, is excited to announce major improvements and new features to the Metlink app and website. The updated Metlink app and website aim to provide an even more user-friendly and convenient public transport experience for the 100,000+ people who use Metlink’s public transport services daily.

Somar Digital, who has worked with Metlink since the launch of the app over 5 years ago, was responsible for the series of enhancements that will vastly improve customer experience including a redesign of the navigation which removes major pain points and gives users a more streamlined access to information.

Some of the new key features are as follows:

• The updated app features an enhanced map functionality, empowering users to zoom and scroll effortlessly, search for specific locations using a search bar, and explore additional map features such as Snapper locations and points of interest. Users can also tap on the map or utilise the search bar to access real-time stop departures, providing accurate and up-to-date information.
• The live tracking feature in the Metlink app has been improved to better show real-time updates on the location of vehicles on a route and estimated times they will arrive at each stop along the trip. Users can now see the position of each vehicle on the map or in a convenient list format. The app’s user experience has been fine-tuned so that it is much easier and quicker for users to get the information they are looking for.
• To make the journey planning process easier, the Metlink app now offers fewer steps for creating a personalised journey plan. The app also incorporates auto-suggest functionality for favourites. The journey suggestions feature a cleaner layout, showcasing travel times and fares. An innovative new feature even allows users to compare the cost of public transport against private options.

“We’re committed to helping Metlink continue to prioritise innovation and customer experience and we’re confident that users of the Metlink app and website are going to see major benefits to the way they use public transport in the Wellington Region”, says Somar Digital CEO Fiona Reid.

In addition to the CX improvements to the App and website, Somar Digital is excited to also announce that it has also launched a Total Cost of Journey Calculator as part of the new updates to the Metlink App and Website.

The Total Cost of Journey Calculator was a direct result of a Waka Kotahi innovation fund set up to address challenges facing New Zealand’s transport system. Somar Digital was one of 24 applicants chosen in the first round of funding, which totaled $4.2million.

In response to this brief, Somar Digital developed a ‘total cost of journey’ calculator, and built and prototyped a logic-based system that presents people with information about their travel choices comparing the costs and environmental impacts of private vehicle versus public transport use.

Somar Digital CEO Fiona Reid adds, “We’re grateful to both Waka Kotahi and Greater Wellington Regional Council for partnering with us to develop this new feature. The Total Cost of Journey Calculator is an awesome and innovative new feature for the Metlink app because it will help encourage Wellingtonians to use public transport and make more informed decisions about their travel choices.”

The improvements to the Metlink app and website, which include the Total Cost of Journey Calculator, aim to drastically improve user experience thanks to a redesign of the navigation. Metlink app and website users now have more streamlined access to information such as finding locations on the map, live tracking buses and fewer steps to create your journey plan.

The updated Metlink app is available for download on iOS and Android devices from the 29th of June. For more information, please visit https://www.metlink.org.nz/.

About Somar Digital:

Founded in Wellington in 2008, Somar Digital provides a full suite of web services and design expertise, putting people at the heart of every digital experience. This includes user experience / user interface design, rapid development, customised Silverstripe solutions, cloud hosting + support, agile delivery and research workshops.

Key clients include Metlink, Greater Wellington Regional Council, The Cancer Society, Te Whatu Ora Health NZ (formerly Te Hiringa Hauora/Health Promotion Agency), Whānau Āwhina Plunket, Cancer Society New Zealand, MSD and New Zealand Red Cross.

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