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How to figure out when the next bus is coming in Greater Victoria

One of the biggest hassles with riding public transit is not knowing when the next bus will arrive. Have I just missed it? Should I start jogging because it might be a minute away? B.C.

One of the biggest hassles with riding public transit is not knowing when the next bus will arrive. Have I just missed it? Should I start jogging because it might be a minute away?

B.C. Transit’s new NextRide bus-tracking system for Greater Victoria helps to address some of this anxiety. I’ve been using the system for several weeks, and it has been quite helpful and mostly reflective of what’s actually happening.

You get access to bus tracking information by going to B.C. Transit’s website. Bookmark the site, or install it as an icon on your smartphone or tablet. The service is marketed as a “web app.” When you first use the site, there’s a how-to panel. You can bring it back onto your screen in subsequent visits by clicking on the question-mark icon.

B.C. Transit says its tracking data is also being used in these apps: Transit, MonTransit, Moovit, Google Maps and Apple Maps.

I’ve only found clear evidence of tracking data in the Transit app, which, judging from my mostly inadvertent peeks at other people’s screens, is the most popular transit-info app among Greater Victoria riders.

The NextRide site is a little complicated to use and there’s setup to do, such as typing in your favourite stops and routes. NextRide shows arrival times as a range, 2 to 5 minutes or 5 to 10 minutes, for example, followed by precise times for later buses, such as 5:30 p.m., which appear to be schedule times. I found this a little confusing at first.

The best feature of NextRide is the map. You select a route and you can see where the buses on that route are located, with tiny arrows pointing the direction of travel (which are sometimes inaccurate). You can then make your own prediction for when the bus is likely to arrive. I’ve found that this feature is often 10 to 20 seconds behind reality.

The Transit app is simpler to use and more sure of itself. If you allow the app to track your location, it will show buses departing from stops near you. When bus-location data is available (confirmed by a blinking radio-wave icon) Transit displays next-bus departures in precise minutes, rather than a range of minutes. This feature mostly works, though there have been several instances where the app has said the next bus is coming in, for example, two minutes when it’s already departing from the stop. The minutes-to-next-bus displays are decent estimates, but only estimates.

The Transit app is free to download and use, and provides information for transit systems in dozens of cities in Canada and around the world. The B.C. list includes Greater Victoria, Metro Vancouver, Nanaimo, Cowichan Valley, Comox Valley, Campbell River, Whistler, Cranbrook, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Kamloops, Kelowna, Prince George, Squamish, Sunshine Coast, Vernon and West Kootenay.

I haven’t seen an explanation of how the company behind the app makes money. But the terms of use and privacy statements mention being a broker for ride hailing and bike sharing services. They also mention the sharing of your riding data with third parties: “we may share information with transit agencies to help them analyze and improve their services.”

B.C. Transit has a NextRide frequently-asked-questions section here:
https://www.bctransit.com/victoria/transit-future/moving-forward-with-technology/faq-next-ride

Details about the Transit app are here:
https://transitapp.com

screenshot NextRide bus app
NextRide's map shows bus stops and bus locations. - NextRide
screenshot Transit app
The Transit app shows estimated wait times for buses, based on their locations. - Transit app