Nuvella Get the app

Berkeley pilot · free

Get there the safer way.

Nuvella is safety navigation. It plans walking and biking routes along streets with fewer recent incidents and better lighting, shows transit stops, then stays with you: share your trip live, check in with someone you trust, and get to the nearest safe place in one tap.

Download for iPhone Android

Now piloting at UC Berkeley, in the City of Berkeley and in Emeryville.

Sather Gate to Downtown BART
Example route map Two routes between the same start and end. The fastest route cuts down a dark street with recent incidents. The safer route takes a slightly longer path along lit streets. Sather Gate Downtown BART
84 Safer route, a few minutes longer than the fastest
Safer routeFastestStreet lightingRecent incidents

Illustration of how route choice works. Not live data and not a real score.

How it works

Pick a place. See the choice. Walk it.

You choose where

Search a destination. Nuvella plans the fastest route and a safer one, and shows how far apart they really are.

It weighs the street

Recent reported incidents, how well lit a street is, and whether it is a main street or a back alley all count. The safer route is capped so it never turns into a huge detour.

It stays with you

Turn-by-turn guidance, an alert if you drift off route, and live sharing so someone can follow along if you want them to.

What is in the app

Built for getting home.

Routes that prefer lit, busy streets

Walking and biking routes (with transit stops alongside) are weighted by recent street-level incidents and lighting, with extra care after dark. In areas where there is little data, Nuvella says so instead of implying a street is safe.

Share My Walk

Send a link. Friends see where you are until you arrive, and nothing is shared unless you start it.

Check-ins

Set a guardian. If you do not arrive and do not answer, they are alerted.

Escape

One tap routes you to the nearest police station, hospital or fire station and starts guiding you there.

Off-route alerts

Drift from your route and Nuvella notices, then re-plans without making you stop and fiddle with your phone.

Free during the pilot

Every feature is free while we test in Berkeley. Sign in with your email and a 6-digit code: no password to remember.

Join the pilot
The data

A score is an estimate. We show our work.

UC Berkeley campusCity of BerkeleyEmeryvilleAlbany and North Oakland edges
  • Built from public data. Reported incidents from city and police open data, street-lighting service requests, and road type from OpenStreetMap. The credits are on our data sources page.
  • Not every place has data. Emeryville and the UC campus have little street-level incident reporting. Routes there are labelled "limited data" and are not presented as reassurance.
  • A guide, not a guarantee. No dataset is complete, and a score cannot promise a route is safe. In an emergency, call 911; Nuvella does not contact emergency services for you.
Privacy

Your location is for your walk.

  • Used while a walk is active. Location powers routing, off-route alerts and, only when you start it, Share My Walk.
  • You are in control. End a share at any time, and delete your account from inside the app to remove your trips, contacts and reports.
  • Read the details. Our privacy policy says exactly what is collected and why, in plain language.

Join the Berkeley pilot.

Nuvella is rolling out to students and residents of UC Berkeley, Berkeley and Emeryville. It is free while we learn from real walks.

Pilot inviteiPhone (TestFlight) Pilot inviteAndroid (Google Play)

Public store listings are coming. Email businessaliakca@gmail.com to get a pilot invite.