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Next vehicle arrival times go live for TTC buses

Posted by Derek Flack / May 10, 2011

15 Comments

TTC NextBus bus dataGPS-based next vehicle tracking of TTC buses has gone live on the NextBus website, and it looks like formerly streetcar-only arrival apps will incorporate such information within about a week or so. According to Adam Schwabe, creator of Rocket Radar, his team has already has a beta version of the app ready for bus-related info, but needs to confirm that the Open Data feed hasn't changed around structurally with this new addition.

TTC spokesperson Brad Ross confirmed via email that the system is still in beta, and won't see official implementation until June. As such, it's impossible to give any evaluations of the feed's accuracy at this time, though you can bet we'll be testing it out right away. This, after all, is exciting news for bus commuters who've had to wait for over a year since live vehicle tracking was implemented on streetcars.

We'll provide an update once we know more from local app developers and the TTC itself.

Update (11:50 a.m.):

Sorry folks, the availability of this beta feed is going to be short-lived. According to Ross, "this feed was opened up by Grey Island inadvertently. While it's live right now, it won't be for much longer. When the TTC is ready, in June, it will be open and permanent."

No major complaints, here. It's probably better to test beta in the dark so as to avoid over reliance on a system that's not ready yet.

Update (11:10 a.m.):

If you're not into using the NextBus mobile site, nextstreetcar.ca (which will have to be renamed) displays the bus info in a clean and easy to use manner. Also an option the TTC's SMS-based next vehicle predictor (though you'll need your stop ID). And if you're curious about how many buses are out there at a given time, you can manually enter bus routes into the URL at Where's My Streetcar (another site that's going to need a rebrand). It's actually really fascinating to get a glimpse at how many buses are on a given route at a particular time.

Here's a look at a few routes via screencaps:

29 Dufferin
2011510-29-dufferin.jpg

32 Eglinton
2011510-32-eglinton.jpg

51 Leslie (ouch)
2011510-51-leslie.jpg


Discussion

15 Comments

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George Bell / May 10, 2011 at 11:19 am
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Where's My Bus iphone application is working with this now. Not sure of the accuracy of the data, but the routes are showing up.
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sue / May 10, 2011 at 11:35 am
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It's hilarious and fitting that the example given is the 29 Dufferin bus. Will the tracked vehicles display actually read "three in a row then another 30 minutes" which seems to be the current schedule.
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qwerty / May 10, 2011 at 11:49 am
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Almost makes me want to get a smartphone.
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Adam / May 10, 2011 at 12:10 pm
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Not quite yet. They've pulled the bus data (but changed something in the feed to mess up streetcar data for us, still an update needed): https://twitter.com/bradttc/status/67982368434167808
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Viva / May 10, 2011 at 12:47 pm
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I just wish TTC would catch up with YRT/Viva, they have the device in each bus stop that tells you when the next bus is coming.
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bob / May 10, 2011 at 12:58 pm
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I never liked the time predictions for buses, subway, streetcars because it's impossible to predict traffic or how fast or slow a driver is. The map of all the buses is the way to go so you could make your own judgement as to when the bus will arrive.
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Sean replying to a comment from Viva / May 10, 2011 at 01:03 pm
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The TTC does have that at some stops.

Also, are there not significantly more TTC stops than YRT/Viva stops?
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Sean replying to a comment from bob / May 10, 2011 at 01:06 pm
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I agree with you.

It becomes a little comical when arriving at a stop seeing the electronic sign say that a streetcar will arrive in five minutes only to wait five minutes and still have it read "next streetcar in five minutes" (or whatever those signs say).
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YRT / May 10, 2011 at 01:16 pm
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At least the YRT stop say when the bus is one minute away it is one minute away. Maybe the TTC will figure out how to do it right over the next ten years. sigh.
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qwerty replying to a comment from YRT / May 10, 2011 at 01:25 pm
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I think when the TTC bus is 1 minute away, it actually is one minute away. It's just when the wait times are longer like 5 or 10 minutes, it becomes more and more inaccurate. I think every transit system is like that.
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Joe replying to a comment from Viva / May 10, 2011 at 01:36 pm
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How many people use the YRT/Viva each day? Compare that to how many people use the TTC each day. TTC has more routes, more riders and more buses. It's almost impossible to get the data perfect everyday for each route due to changes in traffic, accidents, problems on board buses that cause delays. Some people need to use common sense and stop thinking the entire system should be perfect when compared to smaller systems with less use.
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JLankford / May 10, 2011 at 01:42 pm
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Next Bus has been working decently for me for the 501. It has a bit of difficulty getting the arrival times right, seemingly miss judging the Humber Loop. However, now that I've been using it a while, I know what '6 minutes until next streetcar' really means.

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Kieren replying to a comment from Joe / May 10, 2011 at 03:37 pm
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It's how everyone from Vaughn and York think.
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meeeeeee replying to a comment from sue / May 10, 2011 at 11:07 pm
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3? More like 6 or 7, followed by at least a half an hour wait and the first one to arrive after said half hour wait will short turn, pretty much guaranteed.
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Bobby / May 11, 2011 at 02:41 pm
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There is no such thing as Victoria Park Ave on the Queen Line - its Victoria Street. Please change.
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