I recently learned about a new mobile phone app introduced by the City of Los Angeles and powered by Xerox. While there are many trip planning apps on the market, this one stands out because it enables users to seamlessly mix and match personal / public transportation options, including walking, biking, bus and rail transit, with privately run services such as Lyft, Zipcar, and FlitWays.
As cool as that capability is, the Go LA app provides yet another innovative feature; namely, calculating trips from point A to point B and then categorizing the options by “sooner,” “cheaper,” and “greener.” Users are further empowered to make the best mobility choice to meet their needs and preferences through information related to price, trip duration, calories burned and carbon dioxide generated by their trip. Pretty slick.
According to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, the Go LA app “…gives users the opportunity to move around in smarter, faster, cheaper, and greener ways by linking them to all the transportation options available to them — from freeways to Metro to bike routes — while also providing the City with useful data to help… make policy decisions that benefit residents.” That last point is very exciting because it means the City’s transportation planners will gain access to a new data set (apparently anonymized) that can reveal trends, patterns, and associations related to how people move around greater Los Angeles.
As Seleta Reynolds, General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, points out, “Xerox’s work could help us learn where to improve infrastructure for people who walk, roll, bike, take transit, and drive– it’s invaluable insight to help make Los Angeles more livable and enjoyable.” That’s an outcome I think everyone would celebrate.
The Go LA app is now available for iOS and Android in the Apple and Google Play stores at www.golaapp.com.
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