CTA Bus Tracker - Top Mobile Applications 2008

CTA Bus Tracker

Company: Clever Devices http://www.cleverdevices.com/

Why It's a Top App: If you've ever stood shivering on a Chicago street corner in the middle of January waiting for a bus that seems like it might never arrive, then a mobile application such as the Chicago Transit Authority's Bus Tracker might strike you as the most ingenious idea since thermal underwear. The GPS application (based on transit technology developer Clever Devices' BusTime solution) delivers to web-enabled devices transit information including scheduled arrival times, route maps indicating the locations and directions of buses currently in service, and alerts when a bus is approaching their selected bus stop. As of mid-July, CTA Bus Tracker spanned 67 of the transit agency's 153 bus routes. According to officials, more routes will be added each month, with real-time travel data expected across all routes by next spring. Additional plans call for the CTA to introduce a related commuter train application. You're still going to be late for work, mind you--but at least now you know how late.