Carlos & Ricardo
Three unique stories with one common denominator
Nuno, Ricardo and Carlos are pillars of the Portuguese Mooviter Community. Their collaboration with Moovit was inspired by three separate incidents, united by a desire to improve transportation for their community.
Nuno, an Almada native, downloaded Moovit one day on a whim. He noticed the “improve your city” button and his interest was piqued. Nuno was determined to improve the public transportation experience for users in the Lisbon metropolitan area. Intrigued, he tapped the button in the app, which brought him to the Editor. And so began his collaboration with Moovit.
Ricardo discovered Moovit in a moment of need in February 2016. He was unfamiliar with transit lines to a hospital where his his mother had surgery. Ricardo selected Moovit from the 3 or 4 available options help him navigate his trip. After several months, Ricardo decided to explore Moovit further. He immediately noticed where he could improve the data using his knowledge as a local. Drawn in by the same call to action as Nuno, he joined the Mooviter Community via the “improve your city” button, and set out to do just that.
Carlos downloaded the app without knowing much about Moovit. He noticed that accurate data was lacking in south bank of Tagus River where he lives. Carlos too wished to improve the transportation service and joined the Community. Tapping on the “improve your city” button, he began his collaboration with Moovit and the Mooviters in Lisbon.
Needless to say, Moovit’s “improve you city” button is of great value to Moovit’s 90 million users as it helps us maintain the best local transit knowledge anywhere.
Getting started
Each ambassador began to improve the data in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, focusing on the major transit agencies in order to ensure maximum benefit for the greatest number of people. They embarked on their Mooviter journey independently, but their paths began to overlap. Carlos recalls joining the project when there was very little activity from other Mooviters in the area. Enter, Nuno and Ricardo. Drawing motivation from each other, the three ambassadors began to fix the data, including updating schedules, modifying the location of stops, and mapping data from new sources.
Localization in Lisbon
For each ambassador, the greatest reward is knowing that people will have an easier time traveling in their area as a direct result of their efforts. When asked what inspires him to contribute to Moovit, Ricardo said, “Two words: urban mobility — giving users the decision power and informing them of more options for their commute.” And we couldn’t agree more. Autonomy over mobility is Moovit’s intended outcome for providing Mobility as a Service (MaaS).
Nuno sees increasing the modality of the app by adding various types of transportation like bike share, car sharing, or on-demand car services, to be a significant way to improve the transit experience. Ultimately, their goal is to provide users with the most and best localized information.
The localization process can be daunting, but it is made easier with the strong support network Mooviters help to create. “Mooviters’ knowledge of their cities and the transit problems they face provide a vital bridge for the development of Moovit in various parts of the globe,” said Nuno.
Additionally, Nuno, Ricardo and Carlos agreed that their collaboration between the three of them, the Lisbon Community, as well as Moovit, is one of the most rewarding parts of being a Mooviter. They credit the leadership of Portuguese Operations Manager, Fernanda Poretsky, and Brazilian Operations Manager, Erick Araujo, as being instrumental in the development of the community as well. They each hope to meet in person one day.
Thank you for your contributions in Lisbon and to the Mooviter Community! We look forward to hearing more about Portugal!