Porto Metropolitan Transport installs QR codes with Unir timetables

Transportes Metropolitanos do Porto (TMP) began installing digital information at Unir bus network stops this Monday, displaying QR codes for viewing on mobile phones.

"We'll start by placing QR codes at sheltered stops, so users can immediately access the timetable for that stop without having to install any app [on their phone]," said the company's president, Marco Martins.

Using the QR code, users will access a website where, "in addition to upcoming departures, they can see the line's route and its corresponding route on a map," and can also check schedules for "another day/time" other than the current one. Furthermore, by zooming in on the map, they can check any stop on the network.

At stake are “around 3,200 shelters in a network of 11,900 stops”, in a process that began this Monday at the terminals of Hospital São João, Polo Universitário and Asprela, in Porto.

The remaining Porto terminals will follow on Tuesday, and from Wednesday onwards, from Vila do Conde to the south, a process expected to take "two months." For now, only scheduled timetables are available, with real-time schedules being the next step.

The lack of timetables was one of the main complaints from users since the launch of the Unir network in December 2023, in addition to those related to the service itself.