Lazy Bus
While we await true real-time bus information at all our Seattle bus stops, consider the lazy option, instead of getting frustrated because the 48 or the 7 is taking forever.
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Syndicate
True that. The pain of forgetting to bring my cell phone, depriving me of real-time info. Yesterday, I missed 3 #43 buses because I decided to walk to Montlake to catch the 520 buses into downtown (which also were late!).
What service do you use for real-time bus info, out of curiousity? And how do you like it?
I use mybus.org. It uses data from Metro's Automatic Vehicle Location system. There's a WAP site and text messaging for cell phones. It's kind of like the displays at transit centers. For a particular location, it shows routes, their destinations, scheduled departure times, and whether they're late, on-time, or early by the minute.
I find it a very useful tool and can say that it is pretty accurate most of the time. I don't have to consult a timetable which I don't always have handy. I know how long I have to wait or if I will make it to the bus stop, which makes me less anxious. I can make decisions like when to leave or which route to choose and make better use of time. I have my usual stops bookmarked on my phone for quick access. The downside is it only works for Metro and Metro-operated Sound Transit buses. In the future when the other agencies upgrade their equipment it is possible to integrate that into the current system.
Since many people have SMS-enabled cell phones, Metro should put instructions like "Text '@4567' to sms@mybus.org to find out when your bus is coming" at every bus stop or at least the location ID. That would be very helpful. Real-time displays at major transfer points would be great but I don't think it is cost-effective to put them at every bus stop. They should also put up a mobile version of the Trip Planner, using even the text-only version on my phone racks up a lot of data charges and is slow (wish I had an iPhone).
Another tool is the Tracker, which displays the locations of buses on a map. I don't use this much but it's cool to see all the buses on the road.