Swiss Post launches PostBus app
Swiss Post’s PostBus has become the first public transport company in Switzerland to offer an Augmented Reality application. The new service provides information about excursion tips and sights via mobile phone. The location-based, real-time information comes from the PostBus «LeisureClick» database.
Augmented Reality superimposes real environments with computer-generated virtual information, thus increasing the user’s perception. The iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and most Android mobile phones can now be used to receive information on excursion tips and sights. The location-based information is displayed on the phone’s screen and updated in real time.
PostBus has collected information on more than 280 sights and leisure offers from all over Switzerland and made this available for free as part of the «LeisureClick» service. This includes a brief description of each excursion tip and information on other offers. Users can also display the direct route to the destination via Google Maps and submit feedback on the excursion tip by e-mail. This information is initially available in German.
In order to use the service, the free «Layar» app must first be installed on the user’s mobile phone from the App Store or Android Market. The «Layar» app consists of various levels, of which «LeisureClick» from PostBus is one.
Other levels enable users, for instance, to find restaurants, hotels, hospitals or filling stations in the area. PostBus is continuously expanding its «LeisureClick» offers as well as ways of using Augmented Reality.
For the past few months, the first two smarphone applications from Swiss Post have been available for free: the Post-App and the PostFinance iApp. The former can be used to find the nearest post office or to track mail, and has already been downloaded over 110,000 times. The PostFinance iApp enables customers to transfer amounts up to CHF 100 from one postal account to another, and has been downloaded over 60,000 times to date.
