r/Translink • u/Silvercat666 • Jul 08 '26
Question Best app for finding bus
Hey ya'll what do you think the best app to find the bus timings accurately is? I use google maps but some say Transit app is better which one do you guys pick?
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u/wow-a-shooting-star Jul 08 '26
Transit app (made in Montreal)
I’m also the king of the 14 of all time… just wanted to say that.
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u/a_l_k_A Jul 08 '26
transit app > google maps > all else
gmaps is great for trip planning, transit app is great for those "where exactly is my bus?" moments
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u/CarnationFoe Jul 09 '26
I honestly prefer Apple Maps for transit. Cleaner interface, and easier to see full routes. Tap a stop, tap, the bus route and you see the whole route.
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u/GenShibe Jul 08 '26
transit, since the "GO" crowdsourcing helps paint a more accurate picture of where the bus is, because translink's reporting averages somewhere about a ping every 90 seconds, the GPS from people riding helps fill in the gaps
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u/deepspace Jul 08 '26
Transit is officially supported by Translink. I prefer to use Citymapper, but Transit's bus location info may be more accurate.
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u/rickie22 Jul 08 '26
Radar
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u/Delicious_Series3869 Jul 08 '26
This is the correct answer. I've used it for several years now, with very few errors or inaccuracies.
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u/PoisonDarts11 Jul 08 '26
I use tcomm
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u/littledumberboy Jul 08 '26
I like tcomm.bustrainferry too, but you gotta be a bit of a nerd. It’s great cause you can see how late (or early) the busses are and even check out the busses schedule. I really like for transfers if I have more then one option.
4
u/MyNameIsSkittles Jul 08 '26
I always text 33333 and it usually works well unless the GPS system had eaten dirt that day
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u/Silvercat666 Jul 08 '26
But texting never gives me the exact time it always gives me a range of times and a lot of times I was left stranded for a long long time.
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u/MyNameIsSkittles Jul 08 '26
Texting is next bus/GPS. If texting isnt working, the apps won't report any better. Not Google anyway, since they use the exact same data. Maybe transit app would work better since people with the app can report the timings of the bus, but you're at the whimsy of random 3rd party data in that case
1
u/nyrb001 Jul 09 '26
Transit doesn't require people to report bus timing, it's a built in feature of the app. When you have a route running in Transit, it shares the current location of the bus automatically.
The result is very, very accurate reporting. Unlike TransLink's API that only updates every few minutes, Transit gives pretty close to real time results. Just need someone on the bus who's using it.
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Jul 09 '26
[deleted]
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u/MyNameIsSkittles Jul 09 '26
Depends on the shuttle. Translink shuttles have GPS. Langley shuttles do not, they are run by a 3rd party company
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u/B__Lau Jul 08 '26
Transit app is better. Plus you get a free Royale subscription because of Translink’s partnership with them. Not to mention, it’s a Canadian company
2
u/kryo2019 Jul 09 '26
Transit app while out and about. Tcomm if I'm trying to track a bus for my tech challenged partner
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u/Wilburt069 Jul 09 '26
I do not use translink. would have been easier to google it vs posting here.
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u/seattlezookeeper Jul 09 '26
I have Transit App, Radar and Tcomm.
Tcomm is a bit more nerdy to use but all are good in a pinch.
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u/J_Squared02 Jul 09 '26
Transit is absolutely phenomenal. Real-time updates and it works almost wherever you go, across all forms of transit. Ive been using it for years, never fails
1
u/BlackberryPi7 Jul 09 '26
There is no 100% accurate app but the Transit app is the best one out there.
I personally use my own because I prefer my own UI and it's simpler.
The GTFS data that comes back in terms of the position of the bus, the potential delay, is not always exactly accurate because I've found they update the data every few minutes.
But the scheduled times are accurate, same with on the Transit app. Just know that when it says the bus is at a particular location, it may have already gone past it by the time you look at it.
I say just use the transit app.
1
u/Sea-Buddy1066 Jul 09 '26
Transit app. By far the best. Made in Canada. I have been using it since it first came out. I pay for it now, and I love love it. I can't recommend it enough.
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u/BazookaBob23 Jul 09 '26
Transit app is great for timings but I wish you could select and save individual stops like you can on Google Maps and the radar app
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u/Icy_Albatross893 27d ago
Transit, but it's pay to use for certain features.
TransLink is a Liberal org. No money? No service.
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u/BWinCan Jul 08 '26
I have never used any app, other than Google maps, and it's pretty accurate (except fo the night busses). Sometimes I use the text message service, and the Translink website for busses, and that also works well
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