Who takes the bus? Calgary Transit iPhone App

[CUG]

I don't, but I thought this was pretty bad ass.

http://calgarytransitschedule.com/

[Muji]

Nice app and only a buck to own.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Unfortunately Calgary Transit schedules mean absolutely nothing, especially the bus schedules, so IMO this is kind of a pointless app even if it is well done. The variance is simply far too large between scheduled and actual times - especially in the winter. If the buses had GPS updating their current locations, etc. then I think something like this would make sense.

The Google maps app does this as well, but it wouldn't be quite as easy to use by the looks of things.

[wildkarrde]

Hah, I thought it would show up here eventually!

To address your point Mitsu - The city is actually in the works to implement gps tracking on all the bus and trains in the city. It's a massive undertaking so it won't be for a while, but as soon as it is, expect map integration in the app itself.

[CUG]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Unfortunately Calgary Transit schedules mean absolutely nothing, especially the bus schedules, so IMO this is kind of a pointless app even if it is well done.

If buses usually operate ahead of schedule and finish their route way ahead of when they're supposed to, their drivers get disciplined, so I'm not sure why you're detracting. You can at least know when to get to the bus stop and when the bus comes, which is the whole purpose behind it.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by wildkarrde
Hah, I thought it would show up here eventually!

To address your point Mitsu - The city is actually in the works to implement gps tracking on all the bus and trains in the city. It's a massive undertaking so it won't be for a while, but as soon as it is, expect map integration in the app itself.

I think it's a great idea, it just is too late (for me haha) as I no longer take transit. I'd have loved to have real time info of where the buses are, I can't even imagine how many hours of waiting that would have saved me. I lived pretty close to a stop too, so if I had real time info I could stay in my house until the bus was a few minutes away then head out. Better late than never - it's going to make Transit better for a lot of people I suspect.

Originally posted by CUG
If buses usually operate ahead of schedule and finish their route way ahead of when they're supposed to, their drivers get disciplined, so I'm not sure why you're detracting. You can at least know when to get to the bus stop and when the bus comes, which is the whole purpose behind it.

Buses operate completely erratically, especially in the winter. If they are ahead of schedule, the drivers sit and do nothing at a stop of their choosing, so everyone before that stop will get screwed if they follow the schedule. In the 13 years I rode the bus, times varied so much it didn't even matter what time I got to the bus stop, and sometimes the buses simply didn't come at all (I know this based on the other people also waiting for the bus who would normally be on an earlier one or whatever). Basically it was a 15-30min wait no matter what time I went to the bus stop, or what schedule I was looking at, unless I got really lucky that day.

If the point of it is to tell you when the buses are SUPPOSED To come, it does that just fine, no argument there - my point is that when they are scheduled to come and when they actually do is so different that you might as well not even bother looking at a schedule and just head out to the bus stop when you want to. The variances (usually 15-30 min) are roughly the same as the next scheduled bus's arrival time, so that is why IMO looking at schedules is pointless.

[jacky4566]

LOL the maps app works way better. it already has the schedules and live tracking plus you dont need to know stop numbers. The schedule i find is accurate to 2-3 minutes so no biggy.

AND its free!

[wildkarrde]

Originally posted by jacky4566
LOL the maps app works way better. it already has the schedules and live tracking plus you dont need to know stop numbers. The schedule i find is accurate to 2-3 minutes so no biggy.

AND its free!

The maps app and Next Stop are two completely different beasts. Maps is amazing for planning a trip, which is why we didn't push our app in that direction.

This is for commuters that take the bus often, know where they are going and just need a fast way to look up stop times.

[Seanith]

Hopefully they come out with a Blackberry / Android offering sometime soon. GPS functionality with the buses would be prime. Hopefully its sooner than later.

[chkolny541]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Unfortunately Calgary Transit schedules mean absolutely nothing, especially the bus schedules, so IMO this is kind of a pointless app even if it is well done. The variance is simply far too large between scheduled and actual times - especially in the winter. If the buses had GPS updating their current locations, etc. then I think something like this would make sense.

The Google maps app does this as well, but it wouldn't be quite as easy to use by the looks of things.

hey idk about this, im a a 4th year student and i take the bus both ways every morning to/from school and its usually pretty good, i dont beleive for 1 second your 15-30 min wait BS. cuz each morning i get to the bus stop about 3-4 minutes early (according to scheduled times) and i dont wait more then 5 mins usually, i think once this year the driver was 10 min late, so that sucked, but i find them to be withen a few mintues of the posted times. But dont get me started on trains

[KeepItGully]

EDIT

[skyfx]

Originally posted by chkolny541


hey idk about this, im a a 4th year student and i take the bus both ways every morning to/from school and its usually pretty good, i dont beleive for 1 second your 15-30 min wait BS. cuz each morning i get to the bus stop about 3-4 minutes early (according to scheduled times) and i dont wait more then 5 mins usually, i think once this year the driver was 10 min late, so that sucked, but i find them to be withen a few mintues of the posted times. But dont get me started on trains

Same, they are at MOST 10 mins late for all the busses I take, even during the winter and they all usually come on time during the summer.

The times scheduled are usually right with 3-5 mins deviations.

[K3RMiTdot]

if only they had this when i took the bus :'(

[shakalaka]

They didn't even have iPhones when I took the bus back in high school. lol

[Muji]

WO GPS tracking and instant updates to the app, it becomes less of an interest to me. I took the bus for six months in 2008 and found the experience OK with no more than a ten minute wait. Having been on the trains only three times in 2008-2010, the trains were terrible smelling and rather dirty. Calgary is not world class until they sort out their crap mass transit system, pity the tourists and convention goers (convention facilities are crap as well in Calgary, too small and very dated).

[Cos]

Originally posted by shakalaka
They didn't even have iPhones when I took the bus back in high school. lol

bahaha, this phone came out my first year of grade 10. Picked it up right away.



Back then it was like "apple? isnt that the guys who make that purple imac?"








Anyways.... back on topic. I have never once waited more than 10 minutes for a bus. The train maybe. Never a bus. Sure it FEELS like 45 minutes but so does sitting in traffic.

[dandia89]

buses around south(canyon meadows) are completely awful and I can't count how many times they were >10 min late or don't come at all

[Xtrema]

You can also call in for the same info.

Hopefully the buses will have gps next to make it really useful in winter because when I took transit, buses are always on time when there isn't snow on the ground.

[jwslam]

Originally posted by chkolny541


hey idk about this, im a a 4th year student and i take the bus both ways every morning to/from school and its usually pretty good, i dont beleive for 1 second your 15-30 min wait BS. cuz each morning i get to the bus stop about 3-4 minutes early (according to scheduled times) and i dont wait more then 5 mins usually, i think once this year the driver was 10 min late, so that sucked, but i find them to be withen a few mintues of the posted times. But dont get me started on trains

You probably have 8-3 classes and take the bus when they come every 3-4 minutes hence your wait times.

Try taking it at like noon and 7pm when they're "supposed" to come every half hour. The drivers are really good at making it to your stop 2 minutes before you get there and you have to wait for the next one.

[jacky4566]

^ iv had this so many times going to the gf's house. i get off the train downtown and when i walk over to the 101 its leaving as i walk towards it. so i have to wait another 30min in the ice cold.

Also why is there no benches in Calgary? i know there are some but not many.