App to help commuters find seat on train in new experiment

NS is launching an experiment with a travel planner app that will help travelers find a seat on a busy train. The app, called zitplaatszoeker, shows with the colors green, yellow, or orange how likely you are to find a seat on which cart of the train, RTL Nieuws reports.

The experiment starts on the route between Arnhem and Den Bosch. NS deliberately chose this route because "it often happens that passengers have to stand on one side of the train, while there are still seats on the other side".

The seat locator app works by means of sensors, among other things, that measure the weight per vehicle.

A study among conductors revealed that in 30 percent of trains passengers stand while seats are still open further up in the train.