Skip to contentArnav Chakravarty

Mumbai Ek

78% of Mumbai commuters change transport mode on a single trip, and juggle a different app for each.

Introduction

In a city where over 7 million people ride public transport daily, navigating Mumbai’s fragmented system of trains, metros, buses, and autos is exhausting. Commuters juggle multiple apps just to figure out how to get from point A to B, dealing with separate payments, delays, and a lack of real-time updates. Our research showed that 78% of users rely on multiple transport modes in a single route, and 62% struggle with poor connectivity and route clarity. Mumbai Ek was designed to solve this by delivering a seamless, all-in-one experience for planning, tracking, and booking public transport.

Details
  • Year2025
  • TeamTeam of 5
  • ToolsFigma, Photoshop, Illustrator, Google Forms
  • DomainTransit & Navigation
Scope

  • 10+in-depth interviews

    100+survey responses

    3groups: commuters, students, tourists

    • 75%find juggling transport apps a huge hassle
    • 74%plan their trips on a phone
    • 50%struggle with signal and route clarity
    • 80%want better route planning first
    “I use 3–4 apps every day, and still end up confused.”

  • Says

    “Three apps every day, just to get to college.”

    Thinks

    “Will there be an auto at the station?”

    Feels

    • Anxious
    • Irritated
    • Frustrated
    • Rarely relieved

    Does

    • Checks 4 apps
    • Dodges rush hour
    • Skips tickets
    • WhatsApp groups

    • Rahul Mehta

      40 · IT consultant

      Faster routes, digital tickets

      Monsoon delays, no seats

    • Aliya Khan

      19 · Design student

      Trains and metros, with confidence

      Which train? Which platform?

    • Saraswati

      72 · Retired librarian

      Lifts, escalators, senior fares

      Ticket queues, complex apps

    • Emily Carter

      27 · Travel blogger

      Get around safely, alone

      No local payment app

  • Aliya’s first local-train trip: Mira Road to Bandra.

    Awareness

    Ticketing

    Boarding

    In transit

    Arrival

    Mood
    OverwhelmedStressedPanickedAnxiousRelieved
    Pain

    Three apps, one trip

    UTS crashes

    Crowds, fear

    Missing the stop

    Lost in the station

    Fix

    One trip planner

    Every ticket in one app

    Crowd levels and SOS

    Stop alerts

    Exit maps, last mile

  • Twelve apps, three kinds. None does all five well, and ride apps only work for cabs.

    Route planningTickets & paymentsLive trackingEase of useSafety
    Transit appsUTS, M-Indicator, Metro Connect 3, Mumbai 129 out of 10048 out of 10028 out of 10052 out of 10060 out of 100
    Route plannersChalo, RedBus, Google Maps, Moovit49 out of 10045 out of 10052 out of 10052 out of 10050 out of 100
    Ride appsOla, Uber, inDrive, Cityflo33 out of 10066 out of 10079 out of 10079 out of 10079 out of 100

    Bars: how far from bad to good each group scores, averaged over its four apps.

    1. 01Home screen
    2. 02Search bar
      • Favourite places
      • Train, metro, bus, taxi, rickshaw
    3. 03Search a destination
      • Type, or pick a recent route
      • Suggestions as you typeSort
    4. 04Route selection
      • Transfers and costCheapest or fastest
    5. 05Route breakdown
      • Time, cost, crowd
      • Rickshaw › train › metro › bus
      • View faresAdults, children, class
    6. 06Payment
      • GPay, PhonePe, Paytm, Wallet
      • UPI, cards, net banking
      • Pick and pay
    7. 07Ticket purchase
      • Confirm and buy
      • Ticket issued
    8. 08Completion
      • Ticket in the app
      • The journey begins

  • Wireframes: the whole flow in grey, from sign-up to tickets

    1. 01Onboarding

    2. 02Sign up

    3. 03Verify

    4. 04Welcome

    5. 05Home

    6. 06Search

    7. 07Routes

    8. 08Route details

    9. 09Journey details

    10. 10Payment

    11. 11Confirmed

    12. 12Tickets

    Storyboard: Aliya’s first trip by train and metro, frame by frame

    1. 01She leaves college, looking at Mumbai Ek

    2. 02Follows the directions on the map

    3. 03Books her ticket in the app

    4. 04She takes the train

    5. 05A crowded compartment

    6. 06Her rickshaw is booked and confirmed

    7. 07Shows the driver her ticket code

    8. 08Finds the Metro Blue Line

    9. 09Metro one: the Blue Line

    10. 10Helps an older woman download the app

    11. 11Metro two: switches to the next line

    12. 12A threatening man in the carriage

    13. 13SOS, or share her location with family

    14. 14Runs for her rickshaw

    15. 15Sitting in the rickshaw, nearly there

    16. 16Journey complete, and a rating

Process

  1. 01

    Research & discover

    Interviews, surveys and an empathy map, to hear how Mumbai actually commutes.

  2. 02

    Analyze & define

    Personas, a journey map and a competitor audit of twelve apps, to find the gaps.

  3. 03

    Structure & sketch

    Information architecture, wireframes and a storyboard of one first trip.

  4. 04

    Build & validate

    A clickable prototype, tested with users and fixed before the final design.

Final design

One app, from the first search to the last stop.

Start from where you are

The home screen opens on a map of where you are, with everything for the next trip one tap away.

Start from where you are
  1. Search by typing, or by voice
  2. Temperature and air quality where you are
  3. Filter by mode: train, metro, bus, taxi, rickshaw
  4. Your tickets and the trip in progress, from home
  5. Saved places, with the travel time to each
Every mode, one look

Train, bus and metro booking share one layout, each with its own illustration of Mumbai, so you always know where you are in the app. Tap Train, Metro or Bus on the home screen above to open each one.

  • Local train

  • BEST bus

  • Metro

Impact

Usability testing on the prototype found three points of friction, and the final design fixed all three.

  • A grey call-to-action that blended in became a bold, high-contrast “Book Now” button.
  • Swipe gestures were added for moving between screens.
  • Every icon got a text label.