New Yorkers Lose 1.5 Days Per Year Waiting for Delayed Trains and Buses

NEW YORK, Dec. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- New York City commuters lose one-and-a-half days per year waiting for delayed trains and buses according to analysis and a new infographic from moovit, the free, crowd-sourced, real-time public transportation app which launches in New York this week. Commuters travelling into New York's Penn Station from Staten Island are the most affected, with average delay time of up to 8.8 minutes, followed by Queens (7.4 minutes) and the Bronx (5.6 minutes) on their daily commutes. Brooklyn and Manhattan commuters suffer average delays of up to 3.5 and 3.2 minutes respectively. The new infographic detailing these findings and analysis can be seen on the moovit website.

According to moovit's analysis of MTA data, the 2012 Straphangers State of the Subways Report Card and moovit's proprietary data, the average annual time New Yorkers spend waiting for delayed public transportation amounts to a fifth of the total time they spend on public transportation each year (12.5 days).

moovit will be launching in New York City this week on the iOS (Apple) and Android mobile platforms to enable commuters to claim back at least  15 hours of those one-and-a-half-days spent waiting for delayed buses and trains each year. The application uses real time data from individual commuters who have also installed the app to provide minute-by-minute information about train and bus speeds and locations, providing alternative routes in case of delays and enabling commuters to get to their destinations faster. The free app will also let commuters share additional information about their commute, such as whether their bus or train is over-crowded and the reasons for their delays. moovit also provides commuters step-by-step guidance and alerts when it is time to get off at the next stop.

Since releasing its beta version earlier this year, moovit has amassed over 300,000 users. The app launched in the US in beta six weeks ago, adding 100,000 new users just last month across twenty cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Madrid,  Rome, and Tel Aviv among others. Analysis of real-time commuter-sourced information from the app's 300,000 users has shown that commuters using the app have on average been able to cut the amount of time they would otherwise spend waiting in delays by 43 percent.

Nir Erez, CEO, moovit commented, "New York is one of the world's busiest cities with an equally convenient and complex public transportation system. Faced with a number of possible routes to work each morning and a backdrop of regular delays, the average New Yorker spends the equivalent of an entire weekend each year just waiting for their delayed bus or train to get to its destination. Delays will always be an unwanted aspect of travel, but we are launching moovit in New York City to help commuters give each other real-time information on viable alternative travel options and help the fight to reclaim as much lost time commuting as possible. Essentially, we want to put the control of the New York City commute back in the hands of the commuter."

moovit is a free app available for download from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

About moovit

moovit is the first public transportation app based on combining crowd-sourced, real-time data with existing schedules to give commuters a minute-by-minute picture of what their journey will be like and identify if there is a faster, or more comfortable alternative at that precise moment. Its goal is to improve public transportation experience for everyone that uses it. moovit was founded in 2011 in Israel by three renowned experts in technology, engineering and public transportation. Since launching in early 2012, the app has already amassed over 300,000 downloads.

For more information visit www.moovitapp.com.

CONTACT: Dan Tudesco, 646-673-8686, [email protected]

SOURCE moovit