After Paris, London, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Mexico, it’s now Monaco’s turn to introduce Citymapper, a free mobile app that guides users through the city, which has been adopted by more than 20 million users around the world. Here, the aim is to combine walking with, as a priority, all modes of transport that offer an alternative to the car. The project is being undertaken as part of the #ExtendedMonaco programme, with the aim of providing users with better information on transport options and supporting the mobility policy of the Prince’s Government, particularly with regard to eco-responsible travel.
“With Citymapper, it is now possible to have several suggestions for routes for travelling from point A to point B in the Principality, as well as from and to countries within an extended perimeter, from the Italian border to Nice Airport. The proposed travel scenarios include walking, but also, and above all, the locally available public or shared means of transport” explained Georges Gambarini, head of the Smart City programme at the Smart Nation Department (DDUN), the administrative department that carried out the project in association with the services of the Ministry of Public Works, the Environment and Urban Development, including the Department of Forward Studies, Urban Planning and Mobility (DPUM), as part of the Smart Mobility projects.
Citymapper Monaco features the routes of the Monegasque Bus Company (CAM), Zestbus (routes passing through Monaco) and Lignes d’Azur (passing through Monaco and the Cap-d’Ail route), trains and helicopters, as well as the car- and bicycle-sharing services Mobee and MonaBike. This multilingual app is therefore intended to be useful for residents of Monaco, but also for commuters and tourists. “In addition to making it possible to plan routes and choose the best shared mobility option in real time, to access information in real time (timetables, delays and alerts), and be guided on your journey using geolocation, significantly, the CityMapper app offers a major innovation – the availability, in real time, of parking spaces in all the car parks in the Principality, which is a Monegasque specificity for this app and a real step forward for soft mobility,” emphasised Mr. Gambarini. “The introduction of this tool is thus part of a series of projects aimed at improving the infrastructure and mobility experience in Monaco, such as the new autonomous shuttle bus and the new Monabike service. It is linked to a more global vision, the ambition of smart mobility to improve users’ quality of life.”
An effective, evolving app
Monaco chose Citymapper because it is “definitely the best option in this field at present – with relevant calculation algorithms, a self-learning system inspired by users’ choices to improve the suggestions given, etc. – thus enjoying a good reputation that will encourage rapid uptake. This app is also educational and fun, providing information, for example, by comparing the different modes of transport, the number of calories used, their equivalent in typical regional dishes and the number of trees saved.”
