Yet Citymapper was only given approval to run buses at night on a set route in east London. A bus that was smarter than current buses, which adapted to user demand and changed route accordingly. “What we really wanted to do was to invent the responsive bus,” says Yusuf. “We care a lot about public transport,” he says.

And it seems like improving the experience of public transport still drives Yusuf. In 2013, when New York City followed suit, Citymapper launched its app stateside. When, in the early 2010s, TfL made it possible for anyone to access real-time, open data on public transport - where buses and trains were at any given time - Citymapper took off.

This integration of public and private transport is a characteristic move by Citymapper. Today, Citymapper users can subscribe to two types of (bright green contactless) travelcard: “Super Pass”, which offers unlimited use of public transport in inner London (zones 1 and 2) for £31 per week (£4.10 less than TfL’s own travelcard) and “Super Duper Pass”, which also throws an unlimited number of rides on Santander cycles and £10 weekly credit for Gett’s black cabs and Kapten’s minicabs, for £39 per week.Ĭitymapper plans to continually add new mobility options to these passes, as and when they arrive in the city.

City mapper bus