Moovit, TfL Using Open Data to Display Tube Station Passenger Levels

Using Transport for London (TfL) data, Moovit is introducing a new feature that will allow app users to view reports about Underground station “busy-ness” across the city. The initiative is in line with TfL’s new “quieter times to travel” information to help people feel safer using transport amid the pandemic.

The new feature is thanks to Moovit’s integration of TfL’s open data API, which provides near real-time station “busyness” data and is only available in the Moovit app aside from the TfL Go app. Users can view the displayed “busyness” data in Moovit’s Station Details screen, and then confirm or update the information themselves to ensure the data is precise and help fellow Moovit users be better aware when planning their journeys. The data can be found for all Tube stations across London except for only a few.

Confirming and updating crowding levels at stations is easy. When a report is displayed in the Station Details screen, nearby Moovit users can tap ✓ or X to verify the information is still accurate or update it to display the latest levels of crowding with a one tap survey.

Users can also add crowding level reports to Moovit if no data is available. Users simply tap Report from the Quick Actions bar in the Station Details screen and follow the prompts and one tap survey to create a report. Users can select Not Crowded, A Little Crowded, Crowded, or Very Crowded. Others nearby will see this information for a period of up to 10 minutes in the Station Details screens before it is refreshed by TfL’s open data.

The Moovit app, available on iOS and Android, combines official information from local transport agencies, as well as crowdsourced information to calculate the best route for each journey with urban mobility options such as bus, metro, rail, bike, scooters, taxi, and Uber. Moovit provides users with real-time arrival information so they know exactly when their bus or rail is arriving, a Live Directions feature with Get Off alerts to provide step-by-step guidance for the entire journey, and Service Alerts so that users can avoid disruptions and plan their journey accordingly.

Through Moovit’s use of Transport for London data, passengers also receive notifications about quieter times to travel.