This blog was written by Business Services Analyst Jeremy Ward.
We have some amazing tech talent in London; people who are starting to make waves on a global scale. London has been a prime market for product testing for years, and now tech companies are launching and refining their products here before going to the world.
If you frequent London Transit busses, you might be one of the 60,000 users of the London-based OnTime App. Since 2012 OnTime has allowed LTC riders to see in real time when the bus will arrive at their stop. Users can also save your favourite routes, and see routes laid out on a map.
The founder of OnTime is Anthony Taylor, a fourth-year computer science student at Western. He has spent years refining the app to get the right formula for back-end data and user experience design. Anthony describes himself as meticulous, making sure every detail helps the user get to where they’re going as easily as possible.
If you look carefully at the thumbnail image on the app, you’ll notice an image of a clock. This not only lends itself to the name of the app, but it’s also a subtle tip of the hat to Anthony’s mobile design company name, 404 Mobile.
The success of OnTime has been user experince. “Users spend an average of 12-14 seconds in the app” said Taylor. “Users spend an average of 45 seconds in competitive apps, but OnTime users get the information they need in less time.”
Anthony has ambitious plans to launch in 100+ cities over the next 12 months and is well on the way to reaching his goals. Earlier this month OnTime spread its wings and is now available in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and more. Ultimately he wants to reach thousands of cities across the globe.
Did I forget to mention that those 60,000 users are solely ios users? For a city of 400,000 residents, those are big numbers. Have no fear Android users, the droid app is just finishing development and will be available soon.
Anthony is currently looking for investors so he can hire a back-end programmer, an Android programmer, and a CEO.
“I use it everyday to plan what time I will catch a bus to campus. Most useful app on my phone.” – Shawn Robinson, M.Sc.
“It’s a very user friendly app that makes catching the bus an easy task. Whether you are a London resident or from out of town it will be the best way to plan your route.” – Sarah W, B.Sc.
