In San Francisco, You Can Take City Buses And Hang Out at Cafes

Public transportation is one of the important factors that can build image positive of a city. From buses to commuter trains, good public transportation is an effective solution to tackling congestion.

While avoiding traffic jams by taking a city bus, what if you could also enjoy the atmosphere and service of a cafe? If you live in the city of San Francisco in the US, you can already feel the experience.

A private company named Leap recently started operating its services in the city. Leap's mission is, "to provide affordable transportation that feels more like a living room than a city bus," as I quoted from its press release.

Operating during peak hours (07.00 - 10.00 and 17.00 - 20.00), Leap's buses are designed with interiors that have a cafe-like feel: wooden tables and benches, a row of face-to-face sofas for those traveling in groups and of course, Free Wi-Fi plus port USB to charge devices mobile devices.

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This 'walking cafe' concept would not be complete without offering a variety of local snacks, from organic toast, fresh fruit juices to cold coffee. To make it more convenient, passengers can order through the application at smartphone, then the officer will immediately serve it.

This companion application can also be used to find out the position of Leap buses directly real-time and how many empty seats in it. Leap also makes use of Bluetooth beacon so that passengers who activate the feature check-in You can automatically sit on the bus without having to scan the QR code for the ticket first.

The Leap bus fare for one way is $6 – more expensive than most city buses, but more affordable than private car services. Payment made via credit card stored in each passenger's Leap account.

San Francisco is indeed the heart of Silicon Valley, and this is one of the reasons why services like the one Leap offers can be realized quickly. Even so, I think cities in Indonesia that have a vision to become smart city could consider the concept of this 'walking cafe' in order to improve the public transportation system.

Street: The Washington Post.