Independent app
An unofficial app for the Western High-Speed Diameter toll road in Saint Petersburg. A personal experiment that grew into a useful service for tens of thousands of drivers.
* Most low ratings are related to internet restrictions in Russia and WHSD infrastructure failures outside the app’s control.
If internet restrictions prevent the app or WHSD web account from loading, create a direct link to the separate official payment page.
I drove on the WHSD often and had to sign in to the website over and over just to check my balance. In 2015, that frustration gave me a reason to step outside web development, learn the newly released Swift, and build my own app.
The first version launched on June 23. It solved one simple problem: showing the transponder balance without asking users to sign in again every two weeks.
At the time, it was the only mobile app for the WHSD — there was no official app yet. A small learning project turned out to be genuinely useful.
After attending a React Native conference, I decided to start over. Showing a balance was no longer enough, so I reverse-engineered the official app API and built my own client.
My WHSD became more stable and capable than the first version: multiple accounts, clear user flows, a tariff assistant, and nearly every feature of the official app — without constant logouts.
The first logo was designed by Tanya.
The Saint Petersburg publication told the story of how an app built by one person in his spare time became more convenient than the official one. By then, the project had over 10,000 active users and a 4.8 rating.
The photograph of the stadium and the WHSD in the article is mine, too.
Read the article in RussianLena joined the project and the app gained a new visual language. It literally turned blue — the palette was inspired by the colour of my car at the time.
Redesigned together with Lena.
I had already moved away from Saint Petersburg and rarely used the WHSD. Then the official app disappeared from the store, and My WHSD downloads jumped from 20–30 to 400–500 a day.
I rebuilt the project, updated its dependencies, rewrote the widget, and fixed years of accumulated issues. Version 4.1 arrived in May, followed by 4.2 in November with number plate linking.
Version 4.3 added the last major missing feature: trip disputes. The app also returned to Google Play.
At the same time, the tariff assistant and route calculator were completely rebuilt, while the single-account interface became cleaner and faster.
210,000 installs on iOSTranslated from Russian reviews in the App Store and Google Play
“Exactly what I needed. This app really helped me out. Everything works, and everything is easy to use. Thank you!”
“The app is fantastic — I’d be lost without it.”
“After the official app was removed, this has been a lifesaver. Thank you to the developers!”
Sobaka.ru · September 12, 2018
A long-form conversation about the first version, dogfooding, and building a city service alone.
Found a bug, have a question, or want to suggest an idea? Send a message on Telegram or by email. If the app saves you time, you can buy its author a coffee.