Uber Boat by Thames Clippers has partnered with customer experience agency Brandwidth to design and develop a new native mobile app on iOS and Android. The app provides a seamless digital experience for users, combining real-time boat tracking, integrated journey planning, ticket sales and access to the popular River Guide, all in one platform.
The app will serve passengers across 24 London piers and introduces a new ‘Where’s My Clipper?’ feature, which allows users to track boats in real time, displaying not just location but also passenger capacity via an easy-to-understand traffic light system. The app was built as a fully native experience, using Swift and SwiftUI for iOS and Kotlin with Jetpack Compose for Android, ensuring smooth performance, deep device integration, and long-term maintainability across both platforms.
Behind the scenes, this functionality draws on multiple live data sources and accounts for unique variables like river conditions and weather. Unlike Google Maps or Citymapper, which rely on static TFL schedules, the app delivers live, real-time information direct from the source. This ensures that users receive the most accurate journey planning possible, a vital difference when river conditions impact travel times daily.
Brandwidth’s team also built a fully integrated journey planner, helping passengers quickly find the best pier-to-pier routes, check timetables, and purchase tickets; from singles and returns to Hop-on Hop-off passes and season tickets and carnets, all with Apple and Google Pay support. The app will feature exclusive ticket types that users can only purchase and activate via their mobile phone.
Adrian White, Head of Marketing and Communications at Uber Boat by Thames Clippers said: “This app is a huge leap forward for our customers. Brandwidth helped us reimagine the travel experience, blending intuitive design with advanced features like ‘Where’s My Clipper?’ It’s a perfect example of customer-centric innovation, executed with precision.”
Commenting on the partnership, Brandwidth’s chief technology officer Andrew Ayling said: “Bringing live tracking to the Thames in a way that mirrors what users expect from rail or bus apps meant solving for a much more complex and fluid environment. We worked closely with the team at Uber Boat by Thames Clippers to ensure the final product isn’t just functional, but genuinely intuitive and easy to use.”
Beyond commuting functionality, the app also features Uber Boat by Thames Clippers River Guide, previously only available on the website, allowing passengers to plan trips by the unique attractions, landmarks and restaurants that can be found along London’s river. Users can browse curated sightseeing routes, cultural hotspots, and hidden gems along the Thames all from their phones.
The app is available to download now via the App Store and Google Play here.
For more on the partnership visit brandwidth.com.
