Jon: getting organised, getting out and getting home (via Citymapper)
Two questions: When were you last on a bus? What is your favourite transport app?
The conversation always takes many directions.
On the first day of university in the early 80s my Mum left me with a kiss, a tear and a box of food. Her place in the doorway was taken by a big bloke from the room opposite. Obviously intent on nicking my lovingly assembled box, he wore red Doc Martins, army jacket, cropped highlighted hair, a big chunky necklace and an expression designed to scare. I didn’t realise that this was his usual attire, and the face he wore was actually his mild smile: he wasn’t the thug I had imagined.
40 years later and I had never talked to him about his transporty life. I knew Jon’s Brain after all this time: encyclopaedic and organised. But how did he use it in his transporty world? It’s good to talk. What I learnt:
- Jon is great at organising! (I actually knew this) He’s therefore good at transport. But even with Jon’s Brain he is not the stuff of “rational economic man/homo economicus”.
- A bike is a great engagement present -it can change your life. Cycling and physical and mental health go hand in hand.
Jon on Klunker
- Even with Jon's very organised brain he can’t work out how to obtain his Network Rail Card discount on a ticket purchased via a ticket vending machine. He likes going to the human at the ticket desk
- Traveline has a simple very user friendly interface – great for information, but no need from Jon for them to do the full booking process by the app.
- “Get me home” was great in the hour of need (it happens to be Citymapper)
- You don’t need incentives and competitions to do something you enjoy – Strava’s not for Jon.
Some Links from our chat:
- Mobile Male Self Help Group: OK that was words into Jon’s mouth. The article about men meeting up regularly is here.
- This is the Network Rail Card
- Specialized Impact helmet and related app information here
- CityMapper: Get me home function!
- Information on three little words via What3Words is here
Music Credits:
Life of a Wandering Wizard by Serge Quadrado