Happy to listen to feedback or questions about the app. As with any data-based service, it's a work in progress and feedback is very valuable for making the app better.
There's some more info about the app on our company blog too.
Why no Android support? That's too bad, this app looks awesome and the many different confusing (for me) transit systems around SF could make it a huge help
Personally, I'm happy with the Google Maps app. Its biggest issue seems to be that no one is aware of its extensive directions capabilities, particularly for public transit.
I am a regular Caltrain rider and here's my honest feedback.
First, to be completely unbiased, the app looks awesome and pretty slick - so great job on it.
Now the challenges:
1) This app will be incredibly difficult to monetize unless you reach significant scale and then use advertising
2) Most of the daily commuters in the bay area are either bart riders or caltrain riders or muni riders -- as in, the mode of public transport they take is fixed. As a Caltrain rider, i have never taken the bart in the last 2 years i've commuted to the city. And I believe vice versa is equally true. Bart riders are unlikely to ride Caltrain regularly (discounting every once in a while ride). Why am I saying this and how is it relevant ? Most of the existing daily commuters have already downloaded free apps which provide the schedules, maps etc. -- most will have very little incentive to download your app, unless it provides some additional value above and beyond the existing apps
3) This app could be more valuable for those who are visiting bay area -- although most of my friends who have visited bay area rent a car -- since they plan day trips to napa, carmel etc -- while in the city, most just tend to use cabs.
This kind of app makes a lot of sense for a place like nyc or london where the subway and public transport system is much more complex and extremely well connected. And where majority of the people use public transport. But even then -- those whose daily commute route is fixed, the app adds little value, IMHO. But I havent used it in nyc, so I could be wrong.
It seems like most of the feedback here is about how they will monetize, not necessarily how the app actually functions, no?
Can't speak for daily SF users, but as an NYC commuter who goes places other than just work and home on a regular basis, Embark has been far and away the best thing on my iPhone.
Also, my schedule isn't always fixed, so Embark is great at telling me when trains are coming, etc. etc.
I agree that there's lots of transit apps, I've downloaded a lot of them, but I end up keeping the Embark ones.
if you read through it, (2) specifically is about usage and adoption, not monetization. commute in bay area is more limited to work and back -- most of the folks in east bay and south bay dont use / rely on public transport for their weekend travel.
> 2) Most of the daily commuters in the bay area are either
> bart riders or caltrain riders or muni riders -- as in, the
> mode of public transport they take is fixed. As a Caltrain
> rider, i have never taken the bart in the last 2 years i've
> commuted to the city. And I believe vice versa is equally
> true. Bart riders are unlikely to ride Caltrain regularly
> (discounting every once in a while ride). Why am I saying
> this and how is it relevant ? Most of the existing daily
> commuters have already downloaded free apps which provide
> the schedules, maps etc. -- most will have very little
> incentive to download your app, unless it provides some
> additional value above and beyond the existing apps
This is true for people who live outside of SF. But a lot of folks in SF do use public transit to get around. (Inside the city, Muni and BART interchangably depending on where I am, where I'm headed and when the next train/bus/whatever for different stops is likely to show up.) When I visit the south, east or other parts of the bay from SF, I use transit (BART, Caltrain, etc) most of the time.
It's called Embark SF, not Embark Bay Area. I think that was a good choice.
VTA transit data needs a fair amount of preprocessing to make usable in Embark SF. It just didn't make the cut for the initial release. We're working on it!
I've been trying to ask developers about their platform choice whenever I see a new app announcement.(Eventually I think it'd be neat to have a list compiled) Is there a particular reason you chose iOS for your first releases over Android? Do you plan on an Android version, BlackBerry, etc in the next year?
I personally think there's a huge opportunity there for skilled Android developers. After someone else does the market validation and first few releases, you can just steal all that work for free and make an Android app that does the same thing.
Thanks. I'm not so much looking for an article, though. I've started asking this in each "new app" thread on HN that pops up. Eventually I'll post a compilation so we can see what real developers from lone devs to teams actually have to say.
What sorts of answers have you gotten so far? Have they mostly been valid concerns, or are a lot of mobile developers misinformed when it comes to Android?
So far I don't have a lot of responses. What I have so far points to people reading articles about Android taking over, but not seeing it in the streets.
Universal = "native" iPad support, in addition to iPhone, in the same application; rather than the iPad performing the usual pixel doubling of a UI designed for an iPhone.
A moot point, for me, without iOS 5 support, unfortunately.
In any event, I'll happily note this as an option for friends, with those caveats. It does seem to have a particularly thoughtful UI, which, plainly, counts for a great deal.
rickrolled by itunes opening. I don't want clicking on a link to open up some app I hate. Does anyone know how to disable apple.com automatically opening iTunes? I'm not on my phone, and I don't sync my phone using iTunes....
Does Embark SF fix the problem with iBart where trains leaving from Fremont would disappear 5 minutes before they actually left the station? Not sure if this was ever resolved or if this was something on BARTs side to fix.
Friend of mine here in Australia is the guy behind TransitTimes (http://transittimesapp.com/), an app in the same field (iOS and Android). He slaves away on his app and has support for a fair number of cities in the US, Australia, Canada and a couple of others. I'd be interested to know how it and Embark compare in terms of functionality?
He's actually in the US at the moment at Google I/O and hoping to meet up with fellow hackers, but his Ask HN fizzled a bit (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5678888). He's @hendx on Twitter if anyone can spare time to meet up with him - he'll be over there for a number of weeks.
I badger him all the time to do a Show HN and talk about the work that's gone into his app, but he's too shy about it. Embark guys, can I convince him to buy you a coffee and compare transit notes?
46 comments
[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 90.9 ms ] threadThere's some more info about the app on our company blog too.
It's terrific how they got funded in spite of the difficulty of the difficulty of monetizing this (at least, in the short term).
See http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/18/wheres-twitter-music-for-an...
Personally, I'm happy with the Google Maps app. Its biggest issue seems to be that no one is aware of its extensive directions capabilities, particularly for public transit.
This SF one is awesome—new design and it includes BART and Muni and the rest of the crazy set of transit systems in SF. Nice work, guys.
First, to be completely unbiased, the app looks awesome and pretty slick - so great job on it.
Now the challenges: 1) This app will be incredibly difficult to monetize unless you reach significant scale and then use advertising
2) Most of the daily commuters in the bay area are either bart riders or caltrain riders or muni riders -- as in, the mode of public transport they take is fixed. As a Caltrain rider, i have never taken the bart in the last 2 years i've commuted to the city. And I believe vice versa is equally true. Bart riders are unlikely to ride Caltrain regularly (discounting every once in a while ride). Why am I saying this and how is it relevant ? Most of the existing daily commuters have already downloaded free apps which provide the schedules, maps etc. -- most will have very little incentive to download your app, unless it provides some additional value above and beyond the existing apps
3) This app could be more valuable for those who are visiting bay area -- although most of my friends who have visited bay area rent a car -- since they plan day trips to napa, carmel etc -- while in the city, most just tend to use cabs.
This kind of app makes a lot of sense for a place like nyc or london where the subway and public transport system is much more complex and extremely well connected. And where majority of the people use public transport. But even then -- those whose daily commute route is fixed, the app adds little value, IMHO. But I havent used it in nyc, so I could be wrong.
Can't speak for daily SF users, but as an NYC commuter who goes places other than just work and home on a regular basis, Embark has been far and away the best thing on my iPhone.
Also, my schedule isn't always fixed, so Embark is great at telling me when trains are coming, etc. etc.
I agree that there's lots of transit apps, I've downloaded a lot of them, but I end up keeping the Embark ones.
It's called Embark SF, not Embark Bay Area. I think that was a good choice.
I've been trying to ask developers about their platform choice whenever I see a new app announcement.(Eventually I think it'd be neat to have a list compiled) Is there a particular reason you chose iOS for your first releases over Android? Do you plan on an Android version, BlackBerry, etc in the next year?
Thanks in advance!
This article answers that question pretty well: http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/18/wheres-twitter-music-for-an...
I personally think there's a huge opportunity there for skilled Android developers. After someone else does the market validation and first few releases, you can just steal all that work for free and make an Android app that does the same thing.
Please consider doing Tokyo someday. The only offline routing app for Tokyo today is MetrO, which doesn't include a map nor timetables.
(a) Universal (b) only require iOS 5?
My humble iPad 1 would love to give it a home.
A moot point, for me, without iOS 5 support, unfortunately.
In any event, I'll happily note this as an option for friends, with those caveats. It does seem to have a particularly thoughtful UI, which, plainly, counts for a great deal.
Office mate of mine built it.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/embark-boston-t-mbta-by-emba...
Also, any chance of an iOS 5 version? Thanks.
This is probably a source data issue, but we'll look in to it and see if we can fix it regardless.
Also, we can't support iOS 5 unfortunately. We used a number of iOS 6 only features in core flows.
He's actually in the US at the moment at Google I/O and hoping to meet up with fellow hackers, but his Ask HN fizzled a bit (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5678888). He's @hendx on Twitter if anyone can spare time to meet up with him - he'll be over there for a number of weeks.
I badger him all the time to do a Show HN and talk about the work that's gone into his app, but he's too shy about it. Embark guys, can I convince him to buy you a coffee and compare transit notes?