Demand Responsive Services

Demand Responsive Services

  • Getting Started with FlexiRide

    FlexiRide has three tabs at the bottom of the screen, so you can easily navigate through the app.

    Directions

    In the “Directions” tab you can plan your trip and get quick access to your favourite or recent trips. You can also view your upcoming FlexiRide booking directly from this screen.

    Use the search bar to find your destination and select a starting point (if it is different from your current location), then tap "Find routes". Pick the option that best suits you by tapping your preferred route. The app will give you step-by-step directions, including notifications of when to get off.

    Near Me

    In the “Near Me” tab you will find the map of the stops and stations around you. Tapping an icon will give you a list of services that stop there and their next arrivals (Real-time arrivals are shown in green, times in black are the scheduled time). Saving a station as a Favourite will allow you to easily see all its lines and schedules, even if you’re not next to it.

    PT Services tab  

    In the “PT Services” tab you can search for a specific service and view the route and the arrival time/locations for all its stops. You can also view the full schedule for a specific stop/station. Adding a service to favourites will give you quick access to the service and will notify you on any major changes.

  • PT Services Tab

    The “PT Services” tab at the bottom right of the screen will give you all the information you need about any bus, train or tram service in your city. In this tab you can search for a specific service name/number or swipe right or left to see all lines of a particular type e.g. buses, trains, trams, etc. You can also favorite a service for quick access from the star tab.

    The services are arranged by transit agencies. If there are planned changes or major disruptions to any of the routes - there will be a colored icon beside them. Tap the icon to see the service alert stating nature of the change.

    For information on stops and schedules of a specific service

    Tap a service number to see a list of stops for it, and instantly see the arrival time to your closest stop. Tapping on a stop will show you the estimated arrival time for that stop. For all the line’s arrival time at each station throughout the day tap “Full Schedule

    .

    More on this screen

    Save a favourite service by tapping the star icon in the top right. You can access favourite services quickly from the star tab and will receive service alerts for any severe disruptions to that service.

    For information on the same service travelling in the opposite direction tap “Change direction”.

    Use the interactive map to view the service route and zoom in to see station locations.

  • Schedules & Times

    The app displays the arrival time of a service in one of two ways. The times marked in black are scheduled times, while the ones in green are for real-time arrivals.

    What does this mean, exactly?

    Scheduled times are supplied by transport providers, compiled from public sources, or provided by the community.

    Real-time arrival times are based on how far away your service is and how long you’ll have to wait before it arrives. These times are based on the vehicles’ GPS location supplied by official sources. The accuracy of these times may vary, depending on the quality of the GPS signal, traffic conditions, the stability of the data source, etc.

    If you don’t see real-time information for your area or favourite services - stay tuned. FlexiRide is continuously adding more real-time sources.

  • Live Directions & Stop Alerts

    FlexiRide can guide you to your destination with step-by-step directions. Once you have chosen your preferred route, tap the “Navigate” button to activate this feature. The app will then provide exact directions from start to finish and display your current location while en route.

    Live directions provides instructions on how to get to your stop, departure and arrival times, notifications of when to get off, and the walking route to reach your destination.

    Other Tips:

    •  You can keep the app running in the background and use your phone as usual while still receiving notifications.

    •  If you don’t want to get notifications, simply tap the bell icon (top right) to switch it off.

    •  Swipe the instruction card (not the map) left or right to see the next or previous steps of your journey.

    Please Note: Live Directions requires your Location Services (GPS) to be turned on.

  • Planning Your Trip

    FlexiRide trip planner can take you anywhere in your city. Check all the different routes to get to your destination just by following these 3 steps.

    Step 1: Select a location via the search bar, your favourites, or your recent routes

    On the Directions Tab tap “Where do you want to go?” and use the search bar and type in your destination. If you want to plan a trip from a place that isn’t your current location be sure to add your starting point on the next screen.

    Step 2: Choose the best option for you

    After selecting a location you will be given a number of options to get to your destination. Each option will provide the total duration, walking time, number of transfers, when you should leave and the name of your first stop. If real-time arrivals are available, the app will also show the live arrival of the first line in your route (in green). You can see trip directions for different times and dates by tapping “Depart Now” (top left of the screen) or choose to see results for specific transit types by tapping on the “Filter” (top right).

    Step 3: Get step-by-step directions for your trip

    Once you choose your preferred option, you’ll get information for your entire journey: walking directions to your stops (complete with stop ID number and photo, if available), which line to wait for and for how long, how many stops you should ride, where to get off etc. Tapping “Navigate” will give you live directions, meaning the app will follow the route along with you - telling you when to turn, where to wait, and even when to get off the line you’re on. The live directions will continue running in the background, and you’re free to use your phone as usual.

    Please note: Route durations are estimated, and don’t adapt along the way or take into account external conditions, such as traffic.

  • FlexiRide Service Booking

    For an even smoother journey you can make a booking directly through the FlexiRide app. To make a booking search for your origin and destination, tap "Find routes", tap the FlexiRide option and then tap "Reserve this ride". FlexiRide bookings are only available within the service area and must run to or from one of the two flexiride hubs (Stud Park Shopping Centre or Ferntree Gully Station).

    How do I register?

    If this is your first time, you’ll need to complete a one-time registration process and provide your:

    •  Phone number. This number will receive a confirmation code that you will need to enter to verify your account. Contact support if you don’t get this code.

    •  Your name.

    •  Your email address. 

    View Bookings

    You can easily view your bookings in the “Directions” tab or under “My Rides” in the menu:

    Directions Tab – Here you can see your active tickets and their expiration dates..

    My Rides – On this tab you can view your booking history. Your active tickets are listed under “Future Rides”, and past tickets are displayed under “Past Rides”. Tap on any booking to display further information.

    To view My Rides tap the three lines on the top corner of the screen.

    What if I’m having problems with my booking?

    If you experience any issues with your booking call (03) 8710 6377 and press 1 for booking related enquiries.

  • Near Me

    To view all the public transport options around you tap the “Near Me” tab at the bottom of the screen to view the map. The blue dot is your location, the orange dot in the centre of the screen is used as a selection cursor. To view information for a different location either pan to that location using the interactive map or type the address directly into the search bar at the top of the screen.

    Each of the stations around you appear as individual icons, you can zoom out or scroll in every direction to see more options. Tap on a stop or station icon to see which services stop at it and their next departure times.

    Alternatively, you can swipe up on the card marked “Nearby” to view nearby stops in a list format.

    Favourite Stations

    You can save a stop to Favourites by tapping the stop and then tapping the star in the bottom left hand corner of the screen. You can view your favourited stops in the "Near Me" tab by swiping right to the “Favourites” card (next to the “Nearby” card). This allows quick and easy access to all your favourite stations, regardless of your current location.

    Navigating to/from a Location

    You can get directions to or from anywhere on the map. To do so tap and hold on your chosen location to view related actions, such as getting directions to or from it.

  • Check a Line’s Service Status

    Easily find out about planned changes and major disruptions to your services in the “PT Services” tab. These changes (also known as Service Alerts) will have colored icons next to them.

    •  Orange: Severe change, usually no service in some of the stops or the entire line.

    •  Yellow: Moderate or minor changes.

    Tapping on these icons will show you more information on the nature of these changes. If any of the services along your planned trip has a Service Alert - you will see the icon on the service number on the trip preview. When one of the lines in any of the routes has a Service Alerts, you will see the icon on the affected line.

    Getting notifications in advance

    You will be notified in advance of any Service Alerts for routes that you have favourited. Alternatively, you can tap on the colored icon of an affected service and turn on “Notify me about future service alerts to my line” to add it to Favourites.

    To view all alerts in your area tap the Agency Alerts on the side menu (under the three lines on the top left of every screen) to see all changes to services in your city.

FlexiRide

The demand responsive bus service "FlexiRide" is now available in three locations across Melbourne! Book via the Flexiride app and catch the bus from your closest virtual stop to/from major hubs within your zone.

Download the app today:

  

Click here for more information.