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You make a good point here, and mass transit has done the square root of bugger all to improve accessibility for a new generation. For example: I live in the c
by bartread 9y ago
You make a good point here, and mass transit has done the square root of bugger all to improve accessibility for a new generation.
For example: I live in the countryside and want to get a bus into town. Fair enough but sometimes the buses run late, and sometimes they run really late - like half an hour plus. I often don't have that kind of time to waste, especially not if it means standing or sitting around in the rain. Moreover, it makes the timetable a work of fiction, and in that case what's the point of the timetable[1]? The truth is that in many cases I couldn't really care less about the bus timetable: what I want to know is when the bus I need is going to get here, and I'd like to be able to track its location to help with that.
Be great if there was an app for that, but sadly there isn't (not where I live, anyway). I have a feeling the Swiss Post buses might support that, but I could be imagining it. Thing is, it's not very start-uppable as a concept: you need partnerships with any bus companies involved, you need GPS equipment in the buses, you need parternships with cell networks and good enough coverage that location and ancillary information can be sent back to base to be served up through the app, etc.
In town the bus stops have those TfL style boards that tell you how long until the next bus arrives and where it's going but, of course, you still have to go to the bus stop to get that information.
[1] Timetables do become more important when you have to make changes, or use multiple forms of transport and make them dovetail together, so I'm not actually advocating that they be dumped.
- cygaril 9y agoLondon has online live bus information, but not live tracking. It's still very useful though. https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/stop/490013766E/trafalgar-square-charing-cross-stn/?Input=Trafalgar+Square+%2F+Charing+Cross+Stn https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/stop/490013766E/trafalgar-square-char...
- mantas 9y agoLive tracking is not rocket science. See example what we got in Vilnius, Lithuania. Over there every city bus have GPS trackers for various other reasons anyway. https://www.trafi.com/lt/vilnius/autobusai/1g-greitasis-autobusas https://www.trafi.com/lt/vilnius/autobusai/1g-greitasis-auto...
- SmellTheGlove 9y ago> Thing is, it's not very start-uppable as a concept: you need partnerships with any bus companies involved, you need GPS equipment in the buses, you need parternships with cell networks and good enough coverage that location and ancillary information can be sent back to base to be served up through the app, etc. It may not be something you hack together in a weekend, but it's definitely startuppable. Love that word, btw, can I keep it? Because of the partnerships needed, it won't scale quickly, but I wonder if it has potential as a non-profit startup. Or even for-profit, you just need to work on the value proposition to the local transit agencies. Some areas in the US do have this, after all. I'm not sure if it's GPS or what, but I've seen it Seattle when I visited, and also in Arlington, VA, where I used to live: http://mobile.commuterpage.com/realtime.cfm?stopCode=41209&formMode=3&routeName=ART+41%3A+Columbia+Pike-Ballston-Court+House&routeID=41 http://mobile.commuterpage.com/realtime.cfm?stopCode=41209&f... I believe in Arlington, it was mostly grant funded (state and federal), but somebody's gotta be out there doing the work. I live in Maine now - having decent public transportation would be a nice first step.
- tigershark 9y agoNot sure about US but in London there is citymapper that has been doing it for at least 2-3 years and I remember that at least since 2011 there were single apps doing it. Citymapper is servicing a lot of different cities around the world. So I'm quite skeptic about yet another startup trying to disrupt this field..
- mkl 9y agoSurely that same information about the time until the next bus is also on a website? The bus company has the data, so why wouldn't they put it online? This info is online for (at least) Christchurch and Auckland buses in NZ.
- lkbm 9y agoAustin has exposed it on an API[0], and someone helpfully implemented an unofficial UI[1]. I don't know how long they've had this data publicly available. I wanted it years ago, but was never able to find it until someone pointed me to Instabus a few weeks ago. [0] https://data.texas.gov/capital-metro https://data.texas.gov/capital-metro [1] http://instabus.org/ http://instabus.org/
- madars 9y agoYou should install CityMapper: it is a very smart app that supports public transit in major cities, integrates with Uber/Lyft, bike sharing programs, etc, and even knows how to combine rides (e.g. plan most efficient ride that is part subway, part Uber, etc). I never check timetables for public transit, as the app shows GPS-sourced arrival times for buses in its route planner. Plus it can send a tracking link to your friends so they know when you'll arrive.
- callalex 9y agoMany modern metro areas of the US have done an _excellent_ job of integrating with Google Maps and Apple Maps transit directions. This means that you just need to ask your phone for help from point A to point B, and they all have up-to-date tracking based arrival information to nicely orchestrate layovers for you, and do the math for you re: waiting for express lines vs taking more frequent local lines. Most people in my generation have never needed to read transit timetables and correlate them between bus service, train service, etc. they just let their phones do the work for them.
- goialoq 9y ago> I live in the countryside Mass transit isn't for you. That's fine.