RMob - a mobile app for real time information in urban transportation

Abstract

This paper describes the design and development of RMob, a mobile app for real time information in urban transportation. RMob provides fast, reliable and clear information about transportation in Rome, e.g. bus arrival times, urban travel times, bus stop maps, etc. People moving in large urban areas need to predict travel times and choose the fastest routes; they generally take real time decisions without planning ahead and are usually in hurry so they have limited time for interaction with the device and the application. This work aims to providing travellers in the urban Rome area with timely and accurate information, minimizing the interaction and the text input, so encouraging the best travel choice and the use of public transportation. Based on the different travel phases described in the literature, we propose a distinction on the nearby resources (bus stops, bus arrival times, parkings, car/bike sharing stations, etc.) and trip-destination resources (routes, travel times, parkings and stations at destination, etc.). The application was designed using this model that seems appropriate and usable according to our observations. RMob is published online for iOS and Android devices.