App Profile: OneBusAway

EMH52

Rating: 3/5

The app said the bus was 3 stops away when it was at my stop. My location services were on. The entire ride to work, the app was inaccurate by multiple stops. This is nice for a general idea, but it's tracking algorithm is clearly not accurate when it comes to how long busses take to get from one stop to the next/can't account for when busses don't stop. Fairly disappointing considering the app boasts real time tracking, which I took to mean their is a gps in the bus tracking it. This is not real time tracking. It's "within 5 minutes tracking". Not good enough for commuting to work and minimizing time at a bus stop.

riverrat92121

Rating: 5/5

This app does sensible, useful things, and has a vastly better interface the other transit apps I've seen. It has a developer that apparently cares about making it better, which is practically unheard of. It even has good iPad functionality, and takes advantage of the larger format! I'm from San Diego; when I visited LA recently, I sorely missed this app. Trust me, the alternatives are all much worse. Sure, it's sometimes a little off on the timing estimates between stops. It doesn't handle layovers well, assuming the bus will leave early because it's present before the time it's scheduled to leave. And when a bus stops at the same stop when going in two different directions, I wish it would separate them out into different listings. But if you want to find, with reasonable accuracy, when a bus will be somewhere, and even filter by routes or bookmark frequently used stops, this is a solid and functional app, and if your local transit company makes use of it, believe me, it's way better than anything they would've come out with themselves. I use it often and am frequently pleased at how not-impossible it is to use, which is high praise for an app of this nature. I rarely encounter bugs, and updates actually bring useful improvements. It's a rare thing: a free app I'd actually be willing to pay for.

KeyesRM

Rating: 5/5

I’ve been using this app for over a decade now, and I love it! Sure, it’s not the flashiest app and definitely isn’t the fanciest interface but it’s extremely functional, and once you learn the difference between scheduled/not real time buses versus the ones with live tracking data, it makes all the difference. Knowing a bus is going to be several minutes late has saved me from unnecessary sprinting on many occasions. This app is totally volunteer-run and I highly encourage those who are able to donate. It’s a really valuable public service that is not currently being provided by the local transit agencies. Kudos to everyone behind maintaining and updating this app, I can’t imagine getting around without it anymore!