Alex Froom is no fan of apps used to plan trips on public transport. The digital designer and Chief Strategy Officer of Journey Alerts would rather rail and bus passengers use his service; hosted by messenger platforms such as WhatsApp, as well as SMS. 

Journey Alerts provides users with personalised instructions on their phones of how to get from a to b, live updates on where and when to get off a bus or train, and alternative routes if services are disrupted. 

“Our ambition is to become a single source of information, wherever you go. With us, you don’t download an app and provide personal data just to find out the time of the next train."

Alex Froom, Chief Strategy Officer, Journey Alerts

Journey Alerts has two million UK users – up 20% on a year ago – and now the platform is being developed and promoted for passengers who find public transport to be a source of fear or anxiety. 

It worked with Connected Places Catapult and Network Rail through the Station Innovation Zone at Bristol Temple Meads, to develop and trial a service called ‘Buddy’ where a user’s journey on trains can be tracked by a loved one remotely. The idea is to provide reassurance to both parties, and help co-ordinate the meeting of two people at a journey’s end. 

“The Station Innovation Zone was a refreshingly useful and genuinely worthwhile transport initiative, which stands out from the many programmes I've done over the years.

I’ve also been blown away by how engaged the Catapult team has been on the scale-up accelerator which we have now joined; particularly around helping us try to secure investment.” 

Following the Bristol trial, the company secured a contract with rail operator SNCF Transilien in Paris, and is about to begin a commercial contract with Transport for Wales to host the service. 

Staff keyrings featuring QR codes provide access to live travel updates

Helpful, personalised planning

“Most transport apps just search a timetable and don't help you make decisions, keep you moving or instruct you on what to do next,” says Alex. Instead, he says Journey Alerts knows “which platform you're on, whether the loos are open, and whether you should have a 10-minute warning if you've got lots of bags.” 

He also says the service will send messages advising if – and by how long – a train is delayed, which alternative service to take, and its estimated time of arrival. “This is about taking the stress away by telling you what you need to do, and what happens next.” 

Alex is confident that Journey Alerts will continue to grow in popularity, not least because around 90% of smartphone users have a messaging channel installed, whereas fewer than 10% of travellers are thought to use an operator’s own transport app. 

He claims that 98% of users keep Journey Alerts on their phone, but says many people delete apps in the first week. 

“Our system is simple to use, and tries not to overwhelm you with things you don't need to know about. An enormous effort went into making it visual rather than cognitive; reducing the need to do calculations in your head about which journey is quicker or shorter, and having to work out each step as you go.” 

Journey Alerts can be used by passengers on any public transport service nationwide. It is also currently promoted via a series of operator clients who incorporate the service into their own branding, such as LNER Assistant on the East Coast Mainline railway. 

The system is also being used by Bedford Borough Council which has placed QR codes at bus stops that take users to the service to provide travel updates, as an alternative to installing digital displays at bus shelters. 

“We are driven more by frustration with the current way transport service updates are given, rather than having any great vision. Amazon and Netflix have been personalising their services for years, but transport is still a long way behind. 

“We want to change that, and see the delivery of transport information via WhatsApp to become normal for more people.” 

Journey Alerts and two other programme participants on the Station Innovation Zone scale-up accelerator – Createc and WeWALK – will be exhibiting in the UK Pavillion (stand 560G) at InnoTrans 2026 from 22 - 25 September. 

Read a case study about Journey Alerts’ trial at Bristol Temple Meads station.