The MTA Bus Time application by far is the greatest app in the world, I mean the universe…ok well in New York City that is. If you take public transportation in forms of the MTA bus and haven’t heard of this app yet, then you are definitely missing out. The days of standing in the cold and waiting almost an hour for a bus or if you just missed a bus and stood in wonder of the next pending arrival, MTA Bus Time has your back. So your asking what is MTA Bus Time? According to their website, It’s an application that “uses GPS hardware and wireless communications technology to keep track real- time location of buses”.
How This App Works:
There are three ways this application works. The first is by scanning. You use your smart phone device to scan the QR code at your bus stop. Once you scan that code, you will be directed to open a browser. Open the browser and you will be able to see how close the next bus is to your stop.
The next example of how you can use the MTA Bus Time app is through text. By using your bus stop’s code or intersection, you can find out how many stops away the bus may be. You send the text to 511123 before you arrive at your bus stop.
Lastly, with your desktop, tablet or mobile device, you can just click on the map. The map will locate buses along the route. You can also use the search tool and type in intersections, bus stop codes or even zoom in on the map to find buses in real-time. When you find a bus near you, you can just click on it.
I think this is the best application yet and, the MTA has done a good job so far in developing it. I personally use the scanning feature the most; It’s more convenient for me. One mention that I would like to add is bookmarking your frequent routes. Once I scan the QR code and load up the browser on my smart phone, I bookmark the link of the route I use the most so that I can have quicker access to it. The timing of the buses to the MTA Bus Time app has been very accurate so far. I have no complaints and choose to use it continuously.
The MTA Bus Time application was first introduced to Staten Island and the Bronx. The MTA has announced they would be implementing the program in Manhattan this year and will introduce it to Queens and Brooklyn by 2014.