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BikeCityGuide

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BikeCityGuide is a smartphone app that offers a complete navigation system, specified for cyclists in cities.

Around the world, more and more cities try to increase their bicycle traffic rate. Although many cities put large sums in the bike infrastructure, many people are hesitant to use the bicycle. Often security worries play a big role, for example concerns about riding along busy main streets. Many times it would not be a problem finding quieter and safer routes though, if only people had the knowledge.

As long-time cycle messengers, Daniel Kofler and Andreas Stückl knew a lot about this issue and had the idea to develop BikeCityGuide. Their initial plan was, to create a smartphone-app that is able to guide tourists along points of interest in their vacation destination. The plan quickly evolved to a complete bike navigation tool.

BikeCityGuide now offers the first navigation system for smartphones, specificly developed for cycling in cities, that offers an A to B navigation option and a route planner with exact vocal instructions. Residents and tourists can now easily navigate through the city by bike and explore it along the most cycle-friendly route.

The first versions of our app have been launched at the end of April 2012 (Apple iOS) and mid of June 2012 (Google Android). At the moment, BikeCityGuide is available in Austria and Switzerland.

BikeCityGuide offers thre different navigation options: The first one is a simple A to B navigation-tool. You enter your desire destination and the app calculates the fastest and most convinient route to get there. The second option are the tours. Insiders, like cycle messengers create tours along points of interest in their cities. These tours are automatically downloaded with the maps of the respective city and can therefore be taken by every user. Finally users have the possibility to create their own tours. They can just pick the different points of interest, they want to visit. The app then calculates the best route between those places.

The BikeCityGuide team specially developed an algorithm that calculates bike specific routes. Roads are being rated according to how bike-friendly they are. This guarantees that the app automatically avoids main streets and favors bike lanes and side streets.

With BikeCityGuide we make cycling even more comfortable and stress-free and help reaching the goal of getting more people to cycling.

Recent Milestones

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• 
  BikeCityGuide — Android app available in Switzerland (7/24/12)
  Posted 7/30/12 at 12:51am via tagesanzeiger.ch
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  BikeCityGuide — Android launch in Austria (6/12/12)
  Posted 7/30/12 at 12:50am via bikecityguide.org
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  BikeCityGuide — iOS launch in Austria (4/27/12)
  Posted 7/30/12 at 12:48am via bikecityguide.org
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  BikeCityGuide — BikeCityGuide Apps OG founded (4/1/11)
  Posted 7/30/12 at 12:47am

Videos

Screenshots

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Above: Phones BikeCityGuide
Uploaded: 7/31/12

Above: Screenshot map
Uploaded: 7/31/12

Above: Mounted phone
Uploaded: 8/2/12

Sources

Citation Needed [add]
It's done! Our iOS app is now available. (bikecityguide.org) [edit]
And... drumroll... Android is here! (bikecityguide.org) [edit]
Swiss newspaper article about launch in Switzerland (tagesanzeiger.ch) [edit]