If you've been frustrated with the current Gautrain app – and have an iPhone or iPad – there's a new app for you to consider: GauRider 1.0 for iOS, which has been available for download from the App Store since late last week.

It was created by Litha Soyizwapi, an independent iOS developer and designer, who says: “I’ve been working for over a year to ensure that the app is focused, beautiful, has an incredible polish, and it is a stable first release. I can’t wait to get this app to the hands of my fellow GauRiders, so that they can find the Gautrain and bus times quicker and intuitively. As an everyday user of the Gautrain service, I built GauRider for myself and for commuters who care about beauty, simplicity and functionality.”

The current, free Gautrain app, which is available for Apple, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone, has the following functions: timetables, a bus tracker and a fare calculator. Feedback on the app has been mixed, with some users praising it, and other complaining that the timetables don’t reflect the actual train times, particularly during school and public holidays.

How is the GauRider app different? It has an elegant interface, which allows you to drag and drop when working out your personal timetable. It also has a 'smart date feature’, so you don’t have to figure out which day of the week it is while searching for train times nor remember whether it's a school or public holiday. And lastly, once you've downloaded the app, it doesn't use data and works even when you're underground.

GauRider is only available for Apple devices and costs R32.99. Download it here.