Gamified Public Transportation Experience: Metro as an Escape Game

How do you make public transportation travel more attractive? A major public transport operator knocked on UP Digital ‘s door with a concrete challenge: to increase awareness and use of their modern metro link. Although the metro was fast, comfortable and beautifully designed, the number of users fell short of expectations. They also wanted to attract more visitors to the stores in the metro stops.

The challenge: more travelers and more experience

Two clear goals emerged from discussions with the client:

• Encouraging subway use by introducing travelers to the network in a playful way.
• Increasing traffic and engagement in stores located in or near stations.

So the solution had to be not only informative, but above all interactive, surprising and appealing to a wide audience.

The solution: a gamified metro experience

Our approach? A location-based escape game that transforms the entire metro into an interactive experiential journey. Travelers become participants in an urban game full of clues, challenges and storytelling, playfully discovering the metro network and stations.

Key game elements:

• Start Where You Want: The Experience is completely flexible. You can start at any station and pause whenever you want.
• Interactive challenges: Participants perform tasks based on architecture, art or hidden elements in stations, such as photo or video tasks.
• Social sharing: By incorporating game elements that invite sharing on social media, the metro becomes visible through user-generated content.
• Rewards and shopping deals: For each completed assignment, players earn badges. Some assignments activate exclusive offers at stores in the station.

Multi-layered gameplay for every type of player

The experience is designed to appeal to different audiences: from fast players who want to do everything in one day, to casual participants who prefer to play in stages. The game offers layers in difficulty and storytelling, so there is always something new to discover.

Creative elements such as sound effects (think subway doors or public address announcements) increase the immersion without distracting from the gameplay.

• Also read how we bring corporate events to life with gamification through Meet&Connect.
• Or discover Compete&Connect, where competition and collaboration are key.
• Curious about gamification at the city level? Then check out our City Game concepts.

Future expansion and optimization

The escape experience is modularly built, making it scalable and customizable. Some suggestions for further rollout:

• Custom branding & design: Full integration with the carrier’s corporate identity.
• Events & activations: Link the game to events such as concerts, exhibitions or dinners at stations.
• Data & insight: With proper privacy measures, user data can be used anonymously for analytics and retargeting campaigns.

Conclusion

This Gamified Public Transport Experience shows how UP Digital applies innovative gamification to enhance urban mobility as well as support commercial goals. The subway becomes not just a means of transportation, but a place of discovery and experience.

At UP Digital, we’re constantly building new experiences that connect, activate and encourage people to explore. Contact us to work together to design a unique experience that works for your brand, city or organization.