Departures uses augmented reality to show nearby public transit stops in the greater New York City and San Francisco regions. On the virtual departure boards, users see the distance to each stop and the times of upcoming buses and trains as well as any delays or route changes. The app also contains a map view and a list of departure times for the Cape Canaveral spaceport in Florida.

AR before AR existed

At the time of developing the app in 2013, augmented reality was not yet an established technology. Back then we worked under our former name, Taktil Software GmbH, to develop a custom AR framework for the app. To obtain an accurate forecast of departure times, we took location data, acceleration data, gyroscopic data and compass data and channeled it through a set of customized filters to guarantee a seamless travel experience.

Award-winning innovation

2015 saw the Departures app for iOS scoop a number of prestigious awards. From VTA & Microsoft: ‘Grand Prize: ‘Best Transportation App in Silicon Valley’, ‘Best Data Visualization App’ and ‘Retention Award’. From MTA and AT&T: ‘Grand Prize’, ‘Best Transit Rider App in New York’ and ‘Best Way Finding App’.