Go Jauntly scoops the Mayor’s Innovation prize
Go Jauntly, a discovery and wayfinding app for walking, has been selected as the winner of Mayor's Active Travel Innovation Challenge, which was launched to encourage tech firms to develop solutions to social and environmental problems facing the capital.
The app enables people to enjoy self-guided routes with directions, photos and facts along the way, encouraging active travel which is key to tackling some of the greatest issues facing London, including congestion, poor air quality and poor health caused by inactivity.
Go Jauntly will receive a grant to develop routes specifically for London over the next few months with TfL's support, which will encourage people across London to walk more often.
As part of the pilot, Go Jauntly will create two TfL Walk London routes, the Thames Path and Capital Ring, which cover London, reaching from Wimbledon Park to Greenwich, allowing people to walk self-guided routes and discover new areas.
Go Jauntly will also be adding additional features to their platform that will enhance the walking experience including making it easier for customers to identify and walk to their nearest station.
Help shape transport
The Mayor's Active Travel Innovation Challenge tasked a number of start-ups and small businesses with developing solutions to make walking more attractive, including encouraging more people to walk, removing the barriers to walking or providing better data to help shape transport policy.
Two finalists, 'Go Jauntly' and 'T-Kartor: Legible London', were chosen, following a competitive process.
Will Norman, London's Walking and Cycling Commissioner, said: 'Walking is a fantastic way to get around London and Go Jauntly makes it simpler to explore your local area and beyond.
'I'm delighted that the app is developing new routes across the capital, as getting more Londoners to walk regularly is essential for the health and future prosperity of our city.'
Lilli Matson, Director of Transport Strategy at TfL, said: 'Go Jauntly will help make it more appealing for people to enjoy and discover new parts of London on foot as part of their commute or for fun.
'Walking is an easy and affordable way for Londoners to integrate more physical activity into their daily lives and get around.'
World's most walkable city
Earlier this year, TfL and the Mayor announced their ambition to make London the world's most walkable city, with a million extra walking trips taking place each day by 2024.
The Walking Action Plan sets out how London will become a city where walking, for those that can, is the most obvious, enjoyable and attractive means of travel for all short trips.
Hana Sutch, Co-Founder of Go Jauntly, said: 'We are ecstatic to have won the 'Active Travel Civic Innovation Challenge'. As a self-funded and social impact start-up, opportunities such as these are instrumental.
'It will really propel our innovation forward and we can't wait to start working collaboratively with TfL to shape the future of walking in London through our app, Go Jauntly.'
TfL and the Mayor are working to increase the proportion of people walking, cycling and taking public transport to 80% of journeys by 2041, from 63% now.
Streets across London are also being transformed as part of the Healthy Streets Approach, to encourage walking and cycling, ensuring people feel safe and that streets are easy to cross.
Notes to editors
- The free app is available on the iTunes App Store, searching for Go Jauntly. More information on Go Jauntly can be found here: gojauntly.com
- The Mayor's Transport Strategy and TfL's Walking Action Plan can be found here: tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/the-mayors-transport-strategy
- Healthy Streets for London can be found here: content.tfl.gov.uk/healthy-streets-for-london.pdf