CMU offers real time bus tracking app (Oakland: vehicles, transit)

[BrianTH]

This is pretty awesome:

New app developed by CMU tells when your bus will arrive

Called Tiramisu -- Italian for "pick me up" -- the system uses information obtained from iPhone users who are already on transit vehicles to forecast when the vehicles will arrive at later stops on a route. It also tells riders whether seats are available.

An Android version should be available soon, and the more people using it, the better it should work. As the article points out, this will provide a capability that PAT itself can't afford under present circumstances.

[Little Mizz Pittsburgh]

This is great!

[madg0at]

God knows PAT's own time tables are worthless. Now for an app that keeps the 61B from filling up by the time it gets to my stop.

[jimmyev]

I downloaded this today. It has some problems, like it keeps crashing and often can't find your location downtown. And I couldn't tell if a bus is coming or if a bus had just left.

[Copanut]

I loved it years ago when those CMU geeks planted a sensor in the Coke machine so they knew if it was empty or not. Nerds Rule!!!

[irishvan]

Oh Man!! THIS IS AWESOME!! I hope they iron out all of the kinks and it works smoothly. That moment your walking to the bus and think I FORGOT MY LUNCH ... do you go back? or keep walking to the stop?? CHECK YOUR APP

[Blackbeauty212]

They need to get an Android and possibly Blackberry, these along with iOS are the 3 mass market smartphone OS and will really improve the reilability. And while this will be a fast start for Oakland Routes, it make take a while to become system wide..

Also its says the the app depends on the Smartphones GPS for accuracy, I know on Android GPS is a considerable battery hog and people usually turn it off when not in use, not sure about iOS or Blackberry GPS, but if its has the same affect and people can toggle it off and on this maybe a another roadblock for accuracy and reliability.

Don't get me wrong I love innovation and progression like this....But I still want PAT to work on a more rock solid dependable app. I envision an app that combines real time bus/T tracking based on the Vehicals built in GPS not the smartphones, along with ConnectCard management...Now that would be KICK A$$....

Since this was so innovative and forward thinking to benefit PAT riders, I would like to see PAT work with this CMU start up to possibly build on the app and take it to the level I outline and become the official PAT app for smartphones.

[UKyank]

Some cities I have visited have scrolling digital tickers at each stop listing the next bus arrivals & their arrival times which are convenient.