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Correct me if I am wrong, but this looks like something that Google would buy for 3.14B and quietly roll out to anything including your smart toaster. My point

Correct me if I am wrong, but this looks like something that Google would buy for 3.14B and quietly roll out to anything including your smart toaster. My point is, I see only one real business case for this.

froddd 2y ago
It’s a strong business case for the founders
araes 2y ago
Similar thought, and Google acquire does seem like a plausible route. However, checking over on Play [1] they've apparently got In-App purchasing at $3-50 and 300+ cities and 1000+ transits that let you buy fare and passes. Seems like they're already making money anyway. Teams pretty extensive though, so it does look like a lot of annual money's probably necessary to float. [2] [1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thetransitapp.droid&referrer=utm_source%3Dtransit%26utm_medium%3Dwebsite-homepage%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsite-homepage&pli=1 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thetransit... [2] https://transitapp.com/team https://transitapp.com/team
- xav0989 2y ago
  They also partner with transit agencies where the transit agencies pays them to upgrade everyone in the region/system to the premium offering, and the transit app becomes the official app for that transit agency.
- RobotToaster 2y ago
  Yeah, I downloaded the app out of curiosity, but uninstalled it once I saw it had the usual freemium subscription nonsense.
  - kccqzy 2y ago
    I never paid a single cent in this app and yet the app is perfectly enjoyable. I've used it since 2019. What's wrong with freemium? I don't need extra features and the free features are good enough for me.
    - procflora 2y ago
      The thing I specifically paid for (that Google Maps doesn't seem to offer) is answering the question "what transit lines/stops are nearby and how soon will a service arrive at the stop?" Last I looked they limit the number of lines shown in this way for freemium users. If you're just putting in a destination and getting a fastest route (much like you'd do in Google Maps), then I didn't see much benefit to the premium version.

froddd 2y ago

It’s a strong business case for the founders

araes 2y ago

Similar thought, and Google acquire does seem like a plausible route. However, checking over on Play [1] they've apparently got In-App purchasing at $3-50 and 300+ cities and 1000+ transits that let you buy fare and passes. Seems like they're already making money anyway. Teams pretty extensive though, so it does look like a lot of annual money's probably necessary to float. [2] [1] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thetransitapp.droid&referrer=utm_source%3Dtransit%26utm_medium%3Dwebsite-homepage%26utm_campaign%3Dwebsite-homepage&pli=1 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thetransit... [2] https://transitapp.com/team https://transitapp.com/team

xav0989 2y ago
They also partner with transit agencies where the transit agencies pays them to upgrade everyone in the region/system to the premium offering, and the transit app becomes the official app for that transit agency.
RobotToaster 2y ago
Yeah, I downloaded the app out of curiosity, but uninstalled it once I saw it had the usual freemium subscription nonsense.
- kccqzy 2y ago
  I never paid a single cent in this app and yet the app is perfectly enjoyable. I've used it since 2019. What's wrong with freemium? I don't need extra features and the free features are good enough for me.
  - procflora 2y ago
    The thing I specifically paid for (that Google Maps doesn't seem to offer) is answering the question "what transit lines/stops are nearby and how soon will a service arrive at the stop?" Last I looked they limit the number of lines shown in this way for freemium users. If you're just putting in a destination and getting a fastest route (much like you'd do in Google Maps), then I didn't see much benefit to the premium version.