Sources from the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission have said that the development of a comprehensive transportation app has been listed in the city's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), according to Shanghai Observer.

Based on the plan, the government will form an integrated data platform that can disseminate city transportation information more accurately. The new app will consolidate information from various pre-existing ones for bus, parking, metro, highway and road information.

In a city of over 24 million people, the enhancement of public transportation services has always been a priority for the government. Apps that provide information such as travel routes, proximity of bus stations and real-time bus locations have become increasingly popular in recent years.

In January 2014, only 13 bus lines could be tracked in real time using an app created by the Shanghai Ba-Shi Public Transportation (Group) Co. Today, the app can track nearly 1,134 lines, and is used by more than 20 million people daily.

Apart from bus apps, 1,600 forecast screens have also been installed at bus stations. In addition, transportation information can be inquired at 4,635 bus stations simply by scanning a QR code.

Li Lu, an auditor in a foreign-owned enterprise who has used the bus app for two years, said that the technology has brought more convenience to her life as she can more accurately plan her travel times. The bus arrival times displayed on the app are generally accurate down to a few seconds.

However, others such as Wang Kaiyue, an accountant in a State-owned enterprise, have expressed doubt about the value of other public transportation apps, such as those for the metro as the interval times between trains are already very short.

One thing everyone agrees on, however, is that accuracy is paramount for a real-time transportation app system. In order to ensure accurate arrival times, the Shanghai Ba-Shi Public Transportation (Group) Co has leveraged state-of-the-art technology such as the digital intelligence command and dispatch system.

This system can calculate departure and arrival times by collating information from operational plans, road conditions and the GPS systems on buses. According to the company, the system has an accuracy of 96 percent.

Cao Chen contributed to this story.