Waiting for the Q60 on Queens Blvd. (Photo: QueensPost)
Feb. 24, 2014 By Christian Murray
Queens and Brooklyn residents who take the bus will soon be able to tell via smartphone apps and text messages when the next bus will arrive, according to the MTA.
The new system—called MTA Bus Time– will be available along every bus route in Queens and Brooklyn by March 9. The service is already available to riders in the Bronx, Staten Island and Manhattan.
Riders will be able to track where their bus is located at a given time on their smartphones. Those without smartphones will be able to text the service to see how many stops away their buses are.
“As we have seen with train arrival information in the subway, customers appreciate when they know when that train or bus will show up at the station or stop,” said MTA New York City Transit President Carmen Bianco in a statement.
Transportation advocates welcomed the news, although they continue to push for the installation of digital wait-time displays at bus stations throughout the city.
Riders are able to download the free app at bustime.mta.info or get a text message with the next bus in their area by sending the nearest intersection to 511123.
9 Comments
ABOUT TIME!!! I’ve been using an app called Bus New York City for iPhone for nearly 2 years (I use it twice per day) to get in and out of Manhattan from Staten Island, and the Bus Time service is amazing! You should definitely download the app, at $2.99 its pretty cheap considering how often you’ll use it… https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bus-new-york-city-enhanced/id424433686?mt=8
I was sharing a poem. Sorry if it wasn’t clear.
Smitty Ive known a few bus drivers over the years Ive live here and one of the main reason this happens is handicapped people…it takes a lot of time to load and unload them…so buses can easily stack up…
The problem with mass transit that drives me to the bottle?
First, no buses will come; then a lot’ll.
man, theyve been doing this in other countries for years!!!! now were in 2002, way to go MTA!!!
Heres one that should be easy to solve, create an app that can shoot a ID code on my metrocard so I know how much value is on it. Or do i constantly have to run down into the subway to check it before i get on the bus!?
Just show up on time so we don’t have to rely on satellites.
ABOUT FREAKING TIME! Especially for that damn q60 that NEVER shows up on time and when it does, 3 OF THEM ARE THERE!
Those people aren’t waiting for the Q60, but rather the Q32. If you have ever looked at the difference in the number of people riding each of these lines, you would have known that.
I’ve used this in Manhattan and it works pretty well. Helps you decide whether you have time for a ball and chain or soy latte before dashing off for the bus.