Public transit use is always impacted when cities are experiencing extreme heatwaves or the opposite end of the spectrum with sub-zero temperatures.

Whilst there needs to be adaptation to public transit infrastructure to help mitigate the impact, this isn’t going to happen quickly. Many cities and their infrastructure are simply not built for such extremes of temperatures. For example, July 2021 saw light rail and streetcar services suspended in Portland, Oregon, as power cables melted as temperatures reached 46 C(115 F). 

In the meantime, riders still need to use public transit. A mobility app such as Unwire’s can be an essential tool in enabling passengers to continue to use public transit safely during periods of extreme weather.

Our app offers riders real-time planning, enabling them to see where the next bus or any other type of public transit method supported in that city.  The app shows the price of a planned trip and offers the rider to buy the ticket in advance. They can then spend the minimum amount of time outside in extreme weather, whether heat or cold.

By opening the Stop on their app, they can see the estimated time of departure of the vehicle from their selected location. It will also tell the rider if the vehicle is currently running on time, is delayed or even cancelled. By opening the Vehicles Trip in the app, they can see the vehicle moving in real-time on the map along its route to see it approaching their stop or location. This means that they can wait until they really need to leave a comfortable place rather than waiting outside.

With Rider Alerts and Push Notifications, they can also easily keep informed about any service disruptions such as cancellations or changes to their chosen services due to extreme weather. 

This functionality is available to any city or transit agency using our platform/app. Unwire’s platform is a white label solution that can be tailored to the needs of any transit agency, small or large and can be rapidly deployed in one to two months.