Here are 4 startups that are trying to help In studies of happiness and well-being, commuting to and from work ranks among the least favorite activities. Whether youre standing in an overcrowded bus or circling your office building for parking, commuting can be frustrating and stressful. The app will also tell you the best route to take based on traffic conditions.
In studies of happiness and well-being, commuting to and from work ranks among the least favorite activities. Whether you’re standing in an overcrowded bus or circling your office building for parking, commuting can be frustrating and stressful.
Urban Engines is a Waze for public transportation. If you’ve tried getting around using the public transportation option on Google Maps or even Moovit, you’ll notice there are a lot of information gaps. Urban Engines lets you navigate a city by just looking into your phone, and you’ll see the scene in front of you with a map overlay and public transportation options. The app will also tell you the best route to take based on traffic conditions. It even works when you are offline.
If you are tired or just give up finding an on-street parking spot, ParkLife will let you comparison shop the nearest paid parking lots.
Hi-Park is another Israeli parking app that has patented a computer vision algorithm that recognizes parking spots. As you drive around, the Hi-Park app (which will soon become available on iOS and Android) runs in the background, capturing video from the rear camera of your smartphone. The algorithm then collects information about free parking spots as you travel along your route. The vacant parking GPS data is sent to a central server, where it is then distributed to all other Hi-Park users to enable them to find vacant parking spaces based on their need, their distance from the parking areas and historical occupancy data. The app can also let you find the lowest priced gas station or hazards on the road.
Engie is an Android app (currently in Hebrew) that helps a driver understand what’s going on in their car. In case of malfunction, the app offers information as to what went wrong as well as real-time bids from mechanics nearby.
Engie consists of a smartphone app and a small device that connects to your car’s computer. The device transmits information to the app, which can tell you what the malfunction is in 60-80 percent of cases, says Aharon, whether it’s your fuel consumption or that you need a new battery. Then you can receive bids from local mechanics who want to fix the problem.
