Chinedu Echeruo founded HopStop in 2005, before starting HopStop, Echeruo worked as an analyst at investment banks and hedge funds.
Echeruo holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS from Syracuse University. In 2009, he hired Joe Meyer, who was formerly Vice President & General Manager for AOL’s Quigo Technologies as President & CEO HopStop. Echeruo is now Chairman of the Board for HopStop.
Like Israel’s Waze, which was recently acquired by Google for $1 billion, HopStop.com provides free customized public transit directions, as well as other related features and information relevant to public transit online, or via mobile apps for iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 8.
HopStop users can get step-by-step public transit, walking, taxi, biking, and hourly car rental directions based on departure time, transportation mode among others.
The app also has features like Nearby Stations, for users to find subway or bus stops near an address, complete with transit maps and schedules. HopStop also calculates calories burned and per passenger carbon emissions savings for each transit route.
The City Guide helps users find attractions, bars, restaurants, hotels, shopping areas, and other businesses.The Community tab offers users the ability to plan a trip with multiple destinations, including City Guide listings and custom locations.
HopStop.com currently provides directions in 100 metropolitan areas in the United States, Canada, and Europe:
All the features available on the website can also be accessed through free iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows 7 apps, as well as a mobile site.
Apple last year tried its hands at maps and hit a dead-end but did not give up. Its acquisition of the online city transit guide shows the firm is acquiring talent and technology to up its iOS maps again. Apple will find HopStop’s door-to-door subway and bus directions and maps for several US metropolitan cities significant for its mobile and web users.
Apple also acquired Canadian Locationary, that sieves and federates location data on local business.
Echeru also founded a crowd-sourced business-in-a-box.