Some commuting routes can take thirty minutes one day and three hours the next. The driver usually has no warning. A new app from MapQuest called Commute, claims to simplify the daily drive. The app offers real-time traffic, monitors routes/delays and alerts the driver to travel time changes.
Commute is called a workday friend that knows all about what’s going on the road including traffic, weather, construction and accidents as well as how it will affect a daily driven commute.
The app gets to know the driver and his/her needs. It has an understanding of arrival time based on the user’s normal commute patterns and knows what can be expected along this route based on the real-time traffic, weather and road conditions. Eventually it knows when to show the route home or to work. It also works when the app is not loaded.
Drivers input information about their destination and receive notifications 15 minutes before the scheduled time to leave, with information such as the arrival time based on your preferred departure information, and what can be expected along the route based on the most current road conditions.
The free iPhone app works with iOS 8 and has special swipe and button features. There are also Android and Amazon apps.
The Commute app has:
- Improved alternate routes with up to three alternate driving routes. destination
- Traffic enhancements: ,coverage ramps and side roads keep navigators more informed; segmenting real-time traffic is even more accurate than before, delivering better ETAs and routing information
- Voice-guided directions: sound more human
- Local discovery: is easier to find a coffee shop, gas station or locations.
A competitor to Commute is the Spot On Time app complies information from mapping data, live traffic data from users, freeway sensors and other sources to calculate exactly when someone should leave to get someplace on time. Spot On Time costs $39.99 for one year.