Safar App
One app for Mumbai's local train journey: station maps, live train status and ticket booking, so commuters stop juggling three apps.
Concept
Mumbai's trains are easy to use only if you already know the system.
The local train is the fastest, cheapest way to cross Mumbai, and most commuters still choose it despite the problems. But one journey means switching between apps. Google Maps gives routes but no bookings, M-Indicator gives timings but no ticketing, and UTS books tickets but shows no timings.
That is hardest for newcomers and outstation visitors, who don't know the network by habit. Our team of five started with a broad problem, commuters struggling in crowded, poorly designed stations, and narrowed it to a single app built only for Mumbai's locals. Safar combines station navigation, live train status and ticket booking in one place.
Process
From a crowded-stations problem to one app.
We researched commuters, built personas, reviewed the competition, mapped the journey and then structured the app. Tap a stop to see its work.
Iterations
From a first orange pass to a calmer, fuller app.
We designed Safar in two rounds. The first was a warm orange design with a Home, Bookings, Track and Profile bar, a journey card showing route stops and a fare, and a destination search with saved places.
The second moved to an indigo palette and added what the first lacked: sign-in, booking history, a profile page and slide-to-pay. The Track tab gave way to a train schedule and a station map, reached from your ticket. The schedule shows platforms and on-time or late tags, so delays are visible.
Outcome
An app that opens on a live map.
It shows your current location, a search bar for your destination, saved places for Home and Work, and a Your Journeys section that prompts a ticket purchase.
Onboarding starts with a choice of six languages, then sign-up or sign-in. Booking takes a route, journey type, class and ticket count, and ends with a slide to pay. Your ticket links straight to the train schedule and the station map.
The schedule lists fast and slow trains with platform numbers and on-time or late tags. The indoor station map shows platform levels, for the moment people struggle most. A profile page holds your account, payments, safety and help.
