Skip to main content

Arriva UK partners with HaCon on mobile travel app

Arriva UK Bus has partnered with German transportation software solutions HaCon to launch its mobile travel companion based on HaCon’s journey planner software HAFAS. The new mobile app for iPhones and Android-powered smartphones will provide customers with much greater functionality than before, while the HAFAS vehicle management system Smart VMS will provide the basis for comprehensive up to the minute passenger information.
October 22, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
476 Arriva UK Bus has partnered with German transportation software solutions 5550 HaCon to launch its mobile travel companion based on HaCon’s journey planner software HAFAS.

The new mobile app for iPhones and Android-powered smartphones will provide customers with much greater functionality than before, while the HAFAS vehicle management system Smart VMS will provide the basis for comprehensive up to the minute passenger information.

HAFAS Smart VMS gathers GPS-based real-time data in the buses which can be fed to several channels for passenger information systems, such as the new Arriva Bus app, providing passengers with real time system status information. HaCon claims its software is a cost-efficient, web-based alternative to full-range vehicle management systems, which was recently rewarded by the Association of German Transport Companies for its innovative power.

Mike Woodhouse, marketing manager for Arriva UK Bus, said: “HaCon has been working with Arriva’s parent company Deutsche Bahn in Germany for years and this has allowed us to see the benefits of the system in a real world environment. With HaCon’s experience in delivering success within the industry, we know that our new Mobile Travel Companion will be a hit with customers.”

Stephan Sünderkamp, head of Division HAFAS Internet at HaCon, said: “We are excited to equip more than 4,000 vehicles of the Arriva UK Bus fleet with HAFAS Smart VMS, which will support their new journey planner app for iPhones launched today.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Manchester seeks smart but not selective transport solutions
    January 25, 2018
    Smarter transport relies on better communications both with travellers and between transport providers. Andrew Williams reports. Inrix’s prediction that the cost of traffic congestion will rise by 63% to £21bn per year by 2030 clearly illustrates that, in addition to the ongoing inconvenience and inefficiency, ongoing gridlock is a significant drain on the economy. It is against this backdrop that a Cisco-led consortium has launched CitySpire, a smart transport programme that uses location-based services a
  • Big data bonus for Dublin’s buses
    August 19, 2014
    Dublin’s smart research partnership speeds buses More than 50% of people travelling into and across the Irish capital rely on public transport, and four out of 10 these use buses meaning Dublin Bus carries some 120 million passengers a year.
  • Crowd-sourced data feed enhances traffic monitoring
    November 20, 2012
    In the US, NaviGAtor 511, Georgia’s traveller information system, has partnered with Waze to provide enhanced traffic information. Waze, a crowd-sourced social GPS and real-time traffic application for smartphones and Android phones, will provide enhanced traffic data to the current 511 system, and create a special 511 user group, specifically for Georgia travelers, within the existing Waze mobile app. The arrangement was provided for under an existing marketing contract with Iteris, the firm that has opera
  • BART launches multi-modal trip planner app in San Francisco
    January 22, 2019
    Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has launched a trip planner app in San Francisco to provide commuters with access to various transportation modes and information on service disruptions. The BART Trip Planner was developed in collaboration with HaCon – whose software processes transit data from more than 30 operators including buses, trains, ferries and cable cars. BART says the app takes walking, cycling and car routes and the state of traffic into account to give users a realistic comparison of their commu