We created a seamless mobile experience that brings real-time tracking, journey planning and ticketing to London’s iconic River Bus network.
A single app designed to give passengers clarity, control and confidence at every stage of their journey.
Travelling by river offers a unique perspective of London, but the digital experience had fallen behind the expectations of modern travellers.
Passengers were forced to piece together information from timetables, websites and third-party apps, none of which reflected what was happening on the river in real time. This created uncertainty, missed journeys and reduced confidence in river travel as a dependable option.
Following the successful delivery of the online journey planner, Brandwidth was asked to take the experience further by designing and building a new native iOS and Android app. The goal was to bring journey planning, ticketing and real-time updates together in one seamless experience.
We focused first on journey planning. The new app includes a dynamic planner with an interactive map and real-time schedules, helping users find the fastest pier-to-pier routes with ease.
We then introduced “Where’s My Clipper?”, a live tracking feature showing boat location and passenger capacity using a simple traffic light system.
Behind this sits a sophisticated integration of live data sources, factoring in river conditions, weather and vessel movements to deliver a clear, reliable view of the network.
The result is a smart, intuitive tool that helps users plan more confidently and travel more smoothly. User engagement with real-time features grew from a zero baseline, with “Where’s My Clipper?” accounting for 10% of all app events, while journey planning represented 8% of total events.
For sightseers and casual explorers, we also integrated UBTC’s River Guide into the app. This feature unlocks curated routes, landmarks and riverside highlights, turning the app into a companion for discovering the Thames.
Following launch, the app delivered strong commercial and adoption growth:
The app delivers a connected, real-time experience that rivals land-based alternatives, marking a step forward for digital river transport. It demonstrates how Brandwidth combines strategy, design and technology to create experiences that drive measurable impact.
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