iOS Calgary Transit Live

[RedDawn]

On Friday, just in time for the Stampede, Apple switched on Transit directions in Apple Maps.

Really nice how it color codes the different segments of the journey (Parts spent walking/ on train). It also shows on the map all the stations along the route so it's easy to follow your progress while you're on the bus/train.


Cue all the posts from Android users about how Google Maps has had transit directions for years.

[rage2]

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Cue all the posts from Android users about how Google Maps has had transit directions for years.

iOS user here, and Google Maps for iOS have had transit direction for years.

Seriously, who uses Apple Maps other than Carplay users? I remember it took Apple 8 months to map SE ring road after it opened, which made driving directions ridiculous.

The big question is, when the hell is CT rolling out live tracking? It's 2017, we've been promised but still nothing. Are those C-Train ETA signs still predictive and completely inaccurate?

[speedog]

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iOS user here, and Google Maps for iOS have had transit direction for years.

Seriously, who uses Apple Maps other than Carplay users? I remember it took Apple 8 months to map SE ring road after it opened, which made driving directions ridiculous.

The big question is, when the hell is CT rolling out live tracking? It's 2017, we've been promised but still nothing. Are those C-Train ETA signs still predictive and completely inaccurate?

You're taking transit now? WTF. .

[Mitsu3000gt]

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On Friday, just in time for the Stampede, Apple switched on Transit directions in Apple Maps.

Really nice how it color codes the different segments of the journey (Parts spent walking/ on train). It also shows on the map all the stations along the route so it's easy to follow your progress while you're on the bus/train.


Cue all the posts from Android users about how Google Maps has had transit directions for years.

You don't need an Android phone to run Google apps...I imagine 99% of people are using Google maps already because it's just better.

Also I hope it isn't getting it's data from the same place the Calgary Transit App gets it's data - it's so inaccurate it's comical. They claim "real time tracking" which to me means "live" and it's 100% useless.

[jwslam]

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The big question is, when the hell is CT rolling out live tracking? It's 2017, we've been promised but still nothing. Are those C-Train ETA signs still predictive and completely inaccurate?

Me at a bus stop a few weeks ago using their website, went down something like this:
7:35am - next bus in 7 minutes
7:37am - next bus in 2 minutes
7:39am - next bus in 5 minutes
7:42am - next bus in 20 minutes
7:43am - bus shows up

I wish I took screen shots.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Me at a bus stop a few weeks ago using their website, went down something like this:
7:35am - next bus in 7 minutes
7:37am - next bus in 2 minutes
7:39am - next bus in 5 minutes
7:42am - next bus in 20 minutes
7:43am - bus shows up

I wish I took screen shots.

What happens is the app thinks the bus has come & gone, hence the 20 minute bump, but in reality it hasn't come yet OR it came long before so when it was telling you 5min, it had already come and gone, but will continue to slowly count down to zero, then bump up to 20min, with no bus ever coming. Either way, 100% useless and cannot under any circumstances be relied on, let alone even used as a rough guideline. The ONLY way to use transit in this city is to show up 10-15 minutes early and hope. It can easily be that far off schedule, in either direction, on an ideal day. The value of this app would be to stay at home until the bus is 5min out or whatever, so you can walk to the stop, but unfortunately it would be totally useless for that. They say it's "real time" but there is no way that is true. It must still just run off of extremely rough estimates, maybe based on the bus's location pinged every 10 mins or something. I used it for a few months and it was late for work every day that I didn't just go out super early and wait.

[kenny]

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What happens is the app thinks the bus has come & gone, hence the 20 minute bump, but in reality it hasn't come yet OR it came long before so when it was telling you 5min, it had already come and gone, but will continue to slowly count down to zero, then bump up to 20min, with no bus ever coming. Either way, 100% useless and cannot under any circumstances be relied on, let alone even used as a rough guideline. The ONLY way to use transit in this city is to show up 10-15 minutes early and hope. It can easily be that far off schedule, in either direction, on an ideal day. The value of this app would be to stay at home until the bus is 5min out or whatever, so you can walk to the stop, but unfortunately it would be totally useless for that. They say it's "real time" but there is no way that is true. It must still just run off of extremely rough estimates, maybe based on the bus's location pinged every 10 mins or something. I used it for a few months and it was late for work every day that I didn't just go out super early and wait.

I always thought the signs just reflect the scheduled arrival times (ie. takes scheduled time - current time and displays the difference). I've never seen the time actually go up, although I've only ever seen the signs on the LRT platforms.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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I always thought the signs just reflect the scheduled arrival times (ie. takes scheduled time - current time and displays the difference). I've never seen the time actually go up, although I've only ever seen the signs on the LRT platforms.

I don't know how the app works in relation to the LRT platforms, but the LRT platforms are supposed to be real time as well, and they clearly are not (they can't even tell you what train is coming with any certainty). The way they update sometimes, I don't think it's possible that they are just schedules - there is definitely some kind of 'prediction' taking place. I don't know where the disconnect is within their entire tracking system but it's so severe that they shouldn't be giving out info when it's this inaccurate IMHO. Just post the schedules and call it a day until they find out how to track their vehicles. The app with buses is by far the worst though, I can't believe something like that actually got released.

[jwslam]

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What happens is the app thinks the bus has come & gone, hence the 20 minute bump, but in reality it hasn't come yet OR it came long before so when it was telling you 5min, it had already come and gone, but will continue to slowly count down to zero, then bump up to 20min, with no bus ever coming. Either way, 100% useless and cannot under any circumstances be relied on, let alone even used as a rough guideline. The ONLY way to use transit in this city is to show up 10-15 minutes early and hope. It can easily be that far off schedule, in either direction, on an ideal day. The value of this app would be to stay at home until the bus is 5min out or whatever, so you can walk to the stop, but unfortunately it would be totally useless for that. They say it's "real time" but there is no way that is true. It must still just run off of extremely rough estimates, maybe based on the bus's location pinged every 10 mins or something. I used it for a few months and it was late for work every day that I didn't just go out super early and wait.

Thanks for the explanation though I already knew that. I'm just giving a current example as to how useless and frustrating it was. I've had worse experiences with the buses that come every 30ish min.

As for the LRT ones I agree that it's some sort of live updating system that is absolutely fubared. If it were actual schedules the times between trains wouldn't sometimes come up as 2min varying all the way to 9min during rush hour.

[D'z Nutz]

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The big question is, when the hell is CT rolling out live tracking? It's 2017, we've been promised but still nothing.

It's next on the list after the swipe card is implemented

[rage2]

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It's next on the list after the swipe card is implemented

I mean it's not rocket science. Uber does all this by a bunch of dudes that are too busy raping every chick at work. I can tell where the car is, pay without driver intervention, it's not a difficult problem to solve. WTF are CT tech staff doing? They could probably outsource this to India and have a shit version rolled out in 6 months. That's better than nothing today.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Thanks for the explanation though I already knew that. I'm just giving a current example as to how useless and frustrating it was. I've had worse experiences with the buses that come every 30ish min.

As for the LRT ones I agree that it's some sort of live updating system that is absolutely fubared. If it were actual schedules the times between trains wouldn't sometimes come up as 2min varying all the way to 9min during rush hour.

Sorry I wasn't trying to educate you - more just ranting because of how bad it is.

[firebane]

Best thing I ever did was find a lot for the same price as transit and said screw transit.

[sabad66]

The gps tracking works pretty well for me with buses (#3 and #64, both from the north and also from downtown) but can't comment on the LRT. I use the 'transit' app on iOS which I think the official 'calgary transit' app is based on