The challenge
London Midland asked us to take our award-winning UK Train Times app, and tailor it into a custom app for their passengers. Their primary aim was to help passengers take control of their journey - including when things go wrong.
The approach
As one of the UK's most forward-thinking train companies, London Midland were keen to provide their passengers with as much useful information as possible. The app incorporates live disruption feeds, and gives advance warning not just of trains that are running late, but also trains with shorter-form configurations than normal. It also includes the latest London Midland tweets for a personal take on disruptions and amendments, even if you're not a registered Twitter user. And most radically of all, it makes it easy to photograph and submit your ticket for a refund if your train is delayed.
London Midland is available now as a free download from the iTunes Store for iPhone and iPod touch.
Features
- Plan your journey from or to any London Midland station
- Automatically check alternative routes if your journey is delayed or cancelled
- Next Train Home button recommends the next five trains to get you home
- Check on live departures and arrivals for all London Midland stations
- Monitor live train progress, with an innovative progress display
- Save favourite journeys and stations for quick access
- Check disruption information, including short-form trains and line problems
- Purchase car parking via SMS, phone or web
- Keep up to date with London Midland's Twitter stream, even if you're not on Twitter
- Check offline timetables for all major London Midland routes
- Claim back a ticket repayment if your train is delayed - the app will help you take a picture of your ticket and send it to London Midland
- Take advantage of special offers and ticket deals
- Find train stations closest to your current location, with Google Maps directions
- The entire app supports VoiceOver, enabling visually-impaired users to plan and manage their journey anywhere in the UK