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Old 03-09-2010, 10:53 AM
 
Location: Skokiewood
732 posts, read 2,980,783 times
Reputation: 664

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If you've been trying to use the CTA's SMS bus tracker app, it works fine, except you need to know the stop number (a random 4 or 5 digit number). You can query the system to get the stop number, but it's a pain.

A fellow named Brian has created a new app using the public CTA API caching server. Much simpler than the CTA's text app which requires you to know the stop number. Just text route-number stop-name to 757-75BUSES (757-752-8737) and you get a text back with the arrival times in each direction. Example:

Text: 81 Pulaski
Response: Lawrence & Pulaski: [E] 1 min, 6 min, 16 min, 25 min [W] 6 min, 13 min, 27 min

Text: 11 Touhy (actually the Kedzie & Touhy stop)
Response: Kedzie & Touhy: [N] 1 min, 16 min [S] 1 min, 21 min

You can also get the same service by email; just send to info@ctabytext.com. Response is slower than the SMS method.

More at CTA by text - a texting application for getting up to the minute cta bus tracker information by sms - Instructions | ctabytext.com
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Old 03-09-2010, 10:05 PM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 103,146,737 times
Reputation: 29983
Good stuff. The CTA has come a long way with its bus tracking system but it could still use some usability tweaks. Looks like an enterprising fellow got tired of waiting for the CTA to implement them.
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Old 03-11-2010, 12:27 PM
 
11,289 posts, read 26,184,687 times
Reputation: 11355
I love the Iphone apps. They're so user friendly and always right on target.

Do other phones/services have good apps as well?
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Old 03-11-2010, 01:25 PM
 
504 posts, read 1,492,987 times
Reputation: 234
Hey, this is great. Thanks for posting it. I've been wondering why the CTA doesn't go around putting stickers on the bus stop signs with the 4 digit bus tracker code. That would help. This is even better, though, because you don't have to actually be at the bus stop to check it.
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Old 03-11-2010, 08:15 PM
 
Location: Skokiewood
732 posts, read 2,980,783 times
Reputation: 664
Quote:
Originally Posted by mycrows View Post
Hey, this is great. Thanks for posting it. I've been wondering why the CTA doesn't go around putting stickers on the bus stop signs with the 4 digit bus tracker code. That would help. This is even better, though, because you don't have to actually be at the bus stop to check it.
There is supposedly a pilot program where the CTA actually posts the stop ids on the signs, but my understanding is that it's very sparse (remember how long bustracker only tracked the #20?). However, someone else has risen to the occasion and developed an app for generating stop id stickers to leave at or near stops (with the caveat that it's illegal to post stuff on poles and/or deface CTA property).
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Old 03-11-2010, 08:18 PM
 
Location: Skokiewood
732 posts, read 2,980,783 times
Reputation: 664
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chicago60614 View Post
I love the Iphone apps. They're so user friendly and always right on target.

Do other phones/services have good apps as well?
Just to be clear, this isn't an iPhone app; it's an SMS texting service. There are some iPhone as well as Android apps that use CTA bustracker data.
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Old 03-11-2010, 09:39 PM
 
258 posts, read 760,187 times
Reputation: 135
CTA is just waiting for the weather to warm up enough to put stickers on the bus stop signs.
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Old 03-12-2010, 07:45 PM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 103,146,737 times
Reputation: 29983
^^ But you still have to be at the sign to know the number. This app rules because all you need to know is the route number and the cross street.
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Old 03-12-2010, 08:05 PM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,252,946 times
Reputation: 6426
Good stuff preacherswife!
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Old 03-19-2010, 12:09 AM
 
1 posts, read 2,168 times
Reputation: 15
thanks for the kudos! i actually built this app about a year ago, but i was so busy with work and life's distractions that i didn't really start letting people know it was out there until recently. i regret that, because it would have been even more useful a year ago when there weren't as many apps out there. lesson learned.

i am in the middle of coding the next release. literally, the code is open in my other screen it will be far better, because you'll be able to send it any arbitrary string that identifies a location in chicago, such as an address, intersection, or even a landmark. it will return the arrival times for the closest bus stops. it will also introduce online account management which will let you customize things about the way you use the system.

i just did a vanity google of my domain name and that brought me here. thanks for the encouragement!

also, if you think this is a useful app, become a fan of it on facebook. MOD EDIT. PLEASE DM THE AUTHOR FOR URLs TO HIS WEBSITE or SOCIAL NETWORKS to help get the word out.

cheers,

brian

Last edited by linicx; 03-20-2010 at 01:58 PM..
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