‘Back to Travel’ with these handy public transport apps
Back to School will become a reality for many students from this week, but more and more offices are also opening their doors. Back to Travel, including the morning rush hour. Will you (again) travel more often by public transport? We listed the most useful public transport apps to traverse the country.
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Public transport apps: back to normal
More than a year ago, the corona crisis started and people were required to work from home, unless there really was no other option. Students, commuters and tourists were taken off public transport at the same time. In the meantime, the occupation in public transport seems to be rising again, and from next week more and more students will also choose public transport for their trip to school. But not only that, for many employees next week will mark the end of their summer vacation. This means that from tomorrow we will all dive into the buses, metros and trains together.
You probably remember how to travel. Which buses and trams you need, that may also be. Whether you still know what times your buses and trams run is possibly a completely different story. With the crowds (weather) it is also important to keep a close eye on possible delays. A train that is delayed can of course have consequences for your connection to your next mode of transport. We have listed the most useful public transport apps below with which you can follow your journey from start to finish.
Have you ever heard of Gaiyo? At Androidworld we wrote about the app before, but the travel planner has changed a lot since our first article. Just like in the NS or 9292 app, it is possible to plan your journey from A to B in Gaiyo. Gaiyo provides advice for both regional and national carriers. In addition to this functionality, the Dutch application allows you to purchase tickets from NS, RET, Connexxion and Arriva. If you buy a ticket for travel with the NS, you will receive a standard 10 percent discount via Gaiyo.
What makes this app stand out from the crowd are the integrations with shared carriers. When planning your trip, you can immediately see from the app whether you can use a shared scooter, bicycle or even a shared car. If you want to use the shared carriers, you don’t have to leave the Gaiyo app. All the functions of sharing carriers are built into the application.
9292 travel app & route planner
You don’t need a lot of fuss and if you want to be able to easily plan trips with all carriers in the Netherlands, then you’ve come to the right place with the 9292 app. On the start screen, you immediately enter your start (A) and end point (B), after which 9292 shows the fastest travel options. If you prefer trains, buses or the metro or tram, you can indicate this on the start screen. For example, if you know that the bus on a specific route is faster than the train by default, enter that 9292 must plan trips with buses. After a trip has been planned, you will see all parts of the trip, including how to walk to your final destination. If you do not yet have a ticket, you can purchase one in the 9292 app for the NS, Blauwnet, Qbuzz, Connexxion and Arriva (trains), and Breng, Connexxion, EBS, Hermes, HTM, Keolis, RET, U-OV and Waterbus (bus, tram and metro).
NS Lab – test in the digital testing ground of NS
NS Lab has already been featured in the ‘App of the week’ section and is making a return in this app of the week. What makes the NS Lab app special is the travel guidance that the app offers. If you are delayed during your journey, the NS Lab app compensates for this by offering you a new journey. This way you arrive at your destination without too much stress. The app can also help you by automatically recognizing trips and giving you travel advice. If you always travel from, for example, Utrecht Central to Amsterdam South, the NS Lab app will recognize this and offer you the travel advice the next time you check in at Utrecht Central.
The NS also wants to use the app for integrations with shared carriers and to travel without checking in. If the function becomes reality, NS Lab will use the train’s Wi-Fi network to recognize which train you are on. Based on that data, it can automatically pay for your trip. After the test phases, these functions should also come to the regular NS app.
Use local public transport apps
The above apps are especially useful if you travel nationwide. If you usually travel within your own region, you are well served with regional apps from the GVB, RET, Connexxion, EBS, Hermes and Keolis. Which handy public transport apps for traveling in the Netherlands have we missed for this app of the week? Be sure to let us know at the bottom of this article.
