Civic News
Brooklyn

This MTA website gives real-time GPS location of all active buses

Riders now have access to GPS data that can tell you how far the bus is from your stop.

"Buses in the snow" by Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York Photo credit: MTA / Patrick Cashin [Creative Commons for Attribution]

For all this city’s transit strengths, buses in Brooklyn don’t always have the best reputation. This reporter missed the pre-event hangout and chat session at TEDxGowanus because of a bus that just never actually came — schedules be damned.

That uncertainty that always seems to be more acute for bus riders than those on light rail or subways will now be somewhat mitigated in New York. We previously gave NYC a jab for letting Long Island beat us to this point. But now, all MTA buses are reporting in to a central GPS system every 30 seconds, and riders can check in on buses coming to their stop using this website.

Bookmark MTA's Bustime site on your smartphone

No smartphone? Text the stopcode posted at your bus stop, or the intersection, with the route number at the end, to 511123. Instructions here.

The MTA will also be using this data to assess its schedules, according to Crain’s.

Companies: MTA

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending
Technically Media