This wake up app is a complete game changer for Londoners

Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS), the bunch who invented the Oyster Card, are working on an "intelligent travel" network that will wake up Londoners early via an app if their usual route to work faces delay.

We wept with joy as well.

Titled the 'NextCity' project, CTS won't be building the app with dark magic and the sacrificial blood of TfL workers, but by connecting separate streams of passenger data from London's road networks, underground and overground trains, bike routes, bike hire points, bus services and river transport.

In theory, if your route to work is blocked by a traffic incident or rail issue, the NextCity network will send an alert to an app on your smartphone, replotting your commute to avoid the delay. CTS suggests that the app will 'learn' your commute preferences, analysing your route to see if you skip trains in favour of the bus, or take a bike rather than walk. 

Martin Howell, CTS' director of external affairs, said: "To get the maximum from this system you need to give up some information, for example, where you get on and off a bus.

"We can tell people that there might not be a problem yet but by the time you normally travel there will be. Why don’t you get up 20 minutes early, but you won’t need to set an alarm because it will wake you up to tell you: ‘Get the bus in 40 minutes, change halfway, get another bus’."

CTS is also proposing that the system could reward commuters for 'helping' London's transport network by avoiding certain busy routes: should the app alert you that a major station you use is experiencing severe congestion, you could gain TfL vouchers or even iTunes rewards for taking a different route and thus not adding to the issues.

The project is set to be developed at the Cubic London Innovation Centre, opening on 15 December in London's Clerkenwell region. There's no word on when the NextCity app and system will arrive - so you'll just have to stick to good old fashioned systems like local radio and Twitter for now.

[Via: Evening Standard, CTS]

(Image: Rex)