Sometimes I wait for a while. Sometimes I wait less. Sometimes it’s early and I hustle to catch it. It’s as predictable as choosing winning lottery numbers but you can’t win unless you play the commuter lottery. Take out your tokens.
As a commuter, I would love to know where my bus is right now. I catch the same bus line regularly. Current location information would save me waiting time. Or more specifically, it would save me from spending extra time in the blistering sun, heavy rain, snow or freezing temperatures.
I planned my commute before I stepped on a bus. What I use to track the timetable is Transit app. It covers my region and many international areas as well. It route plans and tells you when to leave based on posted schedules. Easy.
What I want is access to real-time data. My area, Baltimore, does not provide the real-time data yet for local buses on Transit app. Other cities post real-time data in it though. And other cities have dedicated city apps, too. For example:
TransitView in Philly
Go Triangle in Raleigh Durham area of NC
BusTime for NYC
AMT Chrono for Montreal
Journey Pro in the UK
You get the idea. Also, there are apps like Moovit or Roadify. They track riders who downloaded the app and registered to have access to current bus location. By combining the data of where riders are on the route, it determines the bus location.
Some are these apps are free, some are not.
But with them, instantly you know if you have time to pick up a cup of coffee to kill the 25 minutes that you will wait since your bus is running late or if you need to head right now for your stop. Did I forget my umbrella? Or is it 95 degrees, not a cloud in the sky? On those kinds of days, I want to know where my bus is as I wait at my shelterless stop. Plus, Stockton could track where my bus is from his office and know if I’ll be arriving later than usual.
GPS technology is available why not use it? Do you commute on mass transit? What do you think about real-time data apps?
Adventures in Low Vision 