People in Toronto are praising this new passenger-made platform that tracks the TTC

After the departure of transit-tracking app Rocketman in 2022, many TTC riders have been struggling to find an adequate replacement to help keep track of transit schedules in the city.

But, one resident has just created an alternative platform that others are lauding as extremely helpful, and also an example of how providing a simple, genuinely useful public service tool doesn't have to require financial motivation (or money to start with).

The resident shared their invention, a new website called TO Bus, in the Toronto subreddit over the weekend, saying that they themselves have been testing and confidently utilizing it in their commutes for over a year now.

"I was so fed up with the bus apps around here, I decided to make one myself... [and] I think other people might want to use something like it too," they wrote on Saturday.

They went on to identify the features that separate their site from the rest of the pack: its visually large numbers so users can "see the countdown while running for the bus," the ability to bookmark routes and view multiple schedules at once, and the fact that it is a webpage, so you don't need to install or sign up for anything to see where vehicles are in real-time.

It also shows not just bus arrival times for various lines and stops, but also streetcar and subway timetables, too.

I made a website to help myself catch the bus.
byu/thomassomething intoronto

It is being billed as a way to see bus ETAs "with minimal distractions, best for "people who used TTC before and mostly know which route to take, and only need the times." Along with sharing the aid, they also called for suggestions on how to make the page better, and for people to add their own data into the open source code.

While its creator hopes to add more features and develop it further, many are finding the concept a great supplement to, or substitute for, the apps already out there. One said that it had actually proved more accurate than the TV on their nearest subway platform.

"I don't even live in Toronto anymore but you're my hero for this," reads one of the dozens of comments on the post.

"WOW this is absolutely incredible! I cannot believe you're solving an issue that a whole institution of people couldn't for the life of them. Thank you so frickin' much," another person wrote.

And still another: "You know how some people say that without a financial incentive no one would do anything? You, my friend, are proof that they're wrong and therefore we should probably prioritize giving people the time and money they’d need to use their skills to improve the world just like you've done here."

Transitgoers need only head to tobus.ca and type in their bus or streetcar stop or line number, or use the line search feature, to use the site.