Where can I find information on past releases?
You can learn more about the bigger upgrade from version 3 of the rider app to version 4 here. The following release notes are about features and bug fixes included in version 4.1.
Pro Tip: You can check which version you're on by navigating to the account menu and scrolling down to the bottom.
Pro Tip: You can check which version you're on by navigating to the account menu and scrolling down to the bottom.
What is the release timeline?
The general release date for Rider App 4.1 is August 5, 2025. Please note that in order to roll out this update safely, we use a strategy of a gradual rollout. This means that a greater and greater percentage of riders receive the update over the course of one week. This means that 100% of riders will have access to the 4.1 version around August 12th.
Please work with your Spare Representative if these dates do not work for you and we can accommodate a different schedule.
What new features are included in version 4.1?
"Nearby Transit Options"
If your agency uses Spare's multimodal trip planning functionality (also known as Spare ONE), then this feature is for you! Now, riders can easily see nearby transit options straight from the home screen:
Riders can simply move the map around and the nearby transit lines below will update in real time, showing the closest lines to the map above. In the image above, users can see:
Route name (Metro A Line)
Direction (APU / Citrus College Station vs Downtown Long Beach Station)
The next two upcoming departures (7, 20 min)
Whether there is a service alert for this route (the yield icon)
And whether there is real time information about this route (like the red example above)
Once a rider selects a particular option from the list, they'll see the closest stop, live vehicle locations, and the next several upcoming departures along with their respective arrival times at each past and upcoming station:
Here is an example without real time information:
This feature has to be enabled by your Spare Representative, speak with them to learn more.
Support for GTFS Real Time Service Alerts
Alongside the "Nearby Transit Options" feature, we've also released support for GTFS Real Time Service Alerts. GTFS Realtime Service Alerts allow transit agencies to communicate service disruptions, such as delays, detours, or cancellations, directly to riders in real-time. These text-based messages are displayed within transit apps to inform passengers about issues affecting a particular route, stop, or the entire network. Here's an example of them displayed in the Rider App:
This feature needs to be enabled by your Spare Representative. Speak to them to learn more!
Schedule Announcements and Include a Photo
Now, you can easily schedule announcements for the future and add photos to them! To do this, navigate to Spare Operations -> Rider Communication -> App Announcements.
Here, you'll see that you can upload a photo and set a start and end time. Announcements will be displayed for riders between those times and the photo will be displayed as in the screenshot above.
Support for More Languages!
The following languages are now supported in the Spare Rider App:
Chinese (Simplified)
Somali
Hmong
Vietnamese
Korean
Amharic
Hindi
Armenian
Russian
Easily Schedule Recurring Trips
Riders can easily make a trip recurring now from the past trips or scheduled trips page. This feature can be enabled by your Spare Representative, speak to them to learn more!
What bug fixes are included in version 4.1?
The web version of our rider application previously displayed the wrong font on some Microsoft computers. This has been resolved.
For some devices (where animations were turned off in their device setting) the "Additional Ride Details" screen wouldn't work. This has been resolved.
All riders were only able to see up to 10 past and scheduled trips. This has been resolved and the limit is removed.
More Features Added to 4.1 on August 26, 2025
Since releasing 4.1 in early August, we've added a few more features. These features are automatically on user's devices, no new download is required. To ensure you have these features, head to the account menu and check that you're on version 4.1.67 or above:
Customize the Home Screen Experience
Your agency may offer only scheduled trips, or only trips to leave now, or a combination of both. Until now, the home screen of the app couldn't be customized to these different service types. Now, you can navigate to Settings -> General -> Rider Interfaces -> Home Screen Trip Mode and choose from three options:
Both Scheduled and Leave Now
Just Scheduled
Just Leave Now
For Both Scheduled and Leave Now the rider can:
Click on "Where To" and they'll be brought to a page to enter their destination. This page assumes their origin is their current location. When they get to the trip options page, it defaults to "Now".
OR the rider can click on the Clock Icon and they'll be brought to a page to enter the date and time they'd like to travel. Then they'll fill in their origin and destination before seeing trip options.
For Just Scheduled the rider can:
Click on "Schedule your trip to..." and they'll be brought to a page to enter the date and time they'd like to travel. Then they'll fill in their origin and destination before seeing trip options.
For Just Leave Now the rider can:
Click on "Where To" and they'll be brought to a page to enter their destination. This page assumes their origin is their current location. When they get to the trip options page, it defaults to "Now".
Service Description
Now, the service description that you enter in Spare will display to riders in the trip timeline. They can access this timeline prior to and post booking a trip.
Prompt to Cancel Return Trip
Now, when a rider goes to cancel one half of a return trip, they'll be prompted to consider cancelling the other. Here's an example where I have a trip booked from 1007 Harvey Ave to a University and the same in reverse an hour later.
When I go to cancel that trip now...
I'll see this error message prompting me to consider cancelling the other half as well:
Custom Review Tags
Now, you can customize the experience for riders leaving reviews from the Rider App. To do this, navigate to Settings -> General -> Rider Interfaces -> Rider Feedback Form. Here, you'll be able to choose which tags show to riders when they leave a positive review or a negative review. You can also optionally add a disclaimer to let riders know what happens when they submit their feedback.
Accessibility Improvements
1. Enhanced Screen Reader Feedback and Communication
You'll now receive clearer and more timely information from your screen reader.
Alerts and Confirmations: Important messages like "Successfully canceled ride," "Favorite location added," and form error notifications are now properly announced.
Clearer Status Updates: Interactive elements now correctly report their status. You will clearly hear whether a checkbox is checked, which radio button is selected in your notification settings, and the current value of steppers (like rider count).
Descriptive Button States: Buttons now announce their current value, not just their function. For example, the button for setting your rider count will now announce the currently selected number of riders.
New Audible Cues: Visual cues now have audible equivalents. Screen readers will announce when new scheduled trips are available, similar to the visual red dot indicator.
2. More Logical Navigation and Focus Management
Navigating the app with a screen reader is now more predictable and efficient.
Correct Focus Order: When you open a new screen, the screen reader's focus will correctly start at the top (usually the page heading), allowing you to navigate downward in a logical order.
No More Trapped Focus: We've fixed issues where screen reader focus could "escape" an active window and get trapped on hidden background elements, such as the map.
Focus Follows Action: When content updates on a page, like when tapping "Next" in the Rider Guide, your focus will now automatically move to the new content.
3. Clear and Concise Labeling
We’ve refined the labels throughout the app to be more descriptive and less cluttered.
Distinct Labels: Elements are now clearly distinguishable. Pickup and drop-off locations are explicitly labeled, and buttons that previously had identical names (like "Change") now have unique, descriptive labels (e.g., "Change Rider Count").
No More Redundancy: We have removed repetitive language to make announcements cleaner. You will no longer hear redundant phrases like "Back button, button."
Relevant Instructions Only: Instructions that are not applicable to screen reader users, such as "Drag map to adjust the pin," are now hidden from assistive technology to reduce unnecessary clutter.
Proper Headings: Many pages now use proper semantic headings, making them easier to understand and navigate.