Citymapper Launches AI Journey Planning
Citymapper just unveiled AI-powered journey planning that leverages artificial intelligence to suggest smarter, more flexible routes across urban transit options. The update promises to make city navigation even more intuitive for residents and visitors navigating the world's largest cities.
The new AI-powered journey planning does more than just find the quickest route; it learns from a user's travel habits to make personalized suggestions. The system also provides an AI summary of the key trade-offs for each option, weighing factors like speed, cost, walking distance, and real-time service disruptions. This feature was first introduced to subscribers of Citymapper CLUB, the app's premium service, with a wider rollout to all users planned for the following weeks. Citymapper is emphasizing a "Privacy first AI" approach, stating that while they use a third-party AI tool to generate insights, no personal data such as start or end locations, home or work addresses, or user names and emails are shared. The update comes after Citymapper was acquired by Via, a leader in TransitTech, in March 2023. The integration aims to create a unified solution for cities, transit agencies, and riders by combining Via's expertise in operating transit networks with Citymapper's user-facing app. Founded in 2011 by former Google employee Azmat Yusuf, Citymapper has grown to serve over 50 million users in more than 100 cities by integrating all modes of urban transport. According to Nithya Sowrarijan, Chief Product Officer of Via, the goal is to move Citymapper from a simple route-finding tool to a "truly personalized travel companion" that guides users to the best journey for them.
