A free travel app for commuters in Nottingham and Derby has been downloaded more than 5,000 times in the first six weeks since launch.
Ride makes life a bit easier for commuters in the two East Midlands cities as it brings their transport firms together and lets you pay and see travel information for all in one place, making travelling in and between Nottingham and Derby a doddle.
The app features buses, trams, trains, walking, cycling and shared transport services, including car club, rental e-scooters and e-bikes. It can be downloaded from the Play Store for Android devices and App Store for iOS.
5,056 people have started using Ride since the launch.
Ride also maps out journeys door-to-door across different providers making opting for sustainable travel options even easier.
Derby and Nottingham city councils, who developed the app in partnership, say it will evolve with new features and more transport operators over time. Along with other public transport responsibilities, operation of Ride will transfer to the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) from next week.
The £4m project was funded by the Government’s Future Transport Zones (FTZ) programme. This provides grants specifically for trialling new and innovative transport technologies and mobility services.
Councillor Linda Woodings, Executive Member for Regional Development, Growth and Transport at Nottingham City Council, said: “I’ve been using Ride for a while now as I signed up for testing during the trial phase – I think it’s brilliant. I’ve recommended it to so many people who use public transport to get around our city.
“Two of my friends – one a teacher and the other a social worker – say that it’s been transformative in terms of helping them select the correct route for their journey. They both love the live tracking feature which shows exactly where their bus is on a map in real-time.
“I’m delighted, but not at all surprised, that Ride has raced to 5,000 downloads in under two months. The app makes it so easy because everything you need is together in one place. I’d urge anyone who’s not done so already to grab it from their app store now.”
More information is available at the new Ride website, here.
