Welsh bus app wins praise at Mobile World Congress
An app which can tell you if your bus is delayed by road-works has been shortlisted for a top award.
The Bwsiti app, designed by Caernarfon-based company Geosho, can tell you
when your bus will arrive.
Once downloaded it can also be used without a wifi signal - making it
especially useful in more remote areas.
The unique app earned the north Wales company a place at the world's leading
mobile technology conference in Barcelona this week.
Bwsiti, meaning "a bus for you" in Welsh, was
shortlisted for Smart UK's most innovative mobile company award at the Mobile
World Congress.
Tayloring routes
Bwsiti can identify the location of a bus but also identify any repeated
disruptions to the timetabled journey, such as traffic congestion due to a
market day, extensive roadworks or school runs.
As well as giving the user information to help plan their journey, it also
collects anonymous information from its users - giving bus providers an insight
into where and when people want to use public transport.
Paul Sandham of Geosho told BBC Wales: "The public can use apps for tourism
or public transport, but at the back end of the system our clients - the
councils and tourism agencies - can see the anonymised information about people.
Waiting for a bus could be a
thing of the past
"They can see what walks are most popular, see where people want to get their
bus from rather than just the bus stop location. So we provide a service to both
ends of the market."
Geosho was among eight Welsh businesses at the conference in Barcelona as
part of a Welsh government-assisted trade exhibition stand.
Economy Minister Edwina Hart said: "Mobile World Congress is one of the top
events of its kind and offers a great opportunity for Welsh companies to promote
their products and services to an international audience.
"It enables the Welsh government to highlight the capability and expertise of
Welsh companies working in one of our key sectors and I am delighted our support
is helping them participate in this exhibition."