TfL Go launched to support travel in London during pandemic

Transport for London (TfL) has launched a new travel app to help people plan their journeys during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The app, TfL Go, aims to provide real-time train times and information to enable travel at quieter times outside peak hours to help passengers maintain social distancing.

The new tool also offers alternative routes and walking and cycling options. TfL says accessibility information has been improved, with a “step-free” mode to access views of all stations with street-to-platform accessibility available on the app, which displays where step-free access is available in stations in one direction as well as step-free interchange between lines.

Travellers can also deploy the iOS VoiceOver and Dynamic Type capabilities to use the app. According to TfL, features will develop further based on customer feedback.

“This new app will make it easy to travel at the quieter times, change your plans on the move, should that be necessary, and access information on walking and cycling routes,” said Vernon Everitt, managing director of customers, communication and technology at TfL. “It will also make it easier for customers with accessibility needs to access as much of the network as possible.”

The app is available for iOS users only, with an Android version to be released in the autumn. Other new features will include live bus information, lift status and the location of toilets.

TfL expects users to be able to access TfL Go’s journey information while on the move, as most Tube stations are providing free Wi-Fi, and a new boost to connectivity has come from a recent 4G pilot on the eastern section of the Jubilee Line.

The TfL Go tool builds on recent developments led by TfL around provision of customer information, which include a return to normal service level information displayed on TfL’s service status boards and on-line journey planner.

According to TfL, the new app was designed and built in-house, using open data feeds provided to third-party app developers and others.

An online data portal is currently being updated by the TfL IT team, with the aim of providing more resilience and flexibility to developers to access and use the information in their own products and services.

Further datasets, such as better accessibility data, which was developed for the TfL Go app, will be added to the portal later this year.