About
Overview
MTA Bus Time uses Global Positioning System (GPS) hardware and wireless communications technology to track the real-time location of buses. You can use MTA Bus Time to find the location of the next several buses that will arrive at your stop.
MTA Bus Time is available using a desktop website, a mobile website (which can also be used as an accessibility-friendly text-only desktop website) on iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, or other smartphones, and using SMS text messaging on any mobile phone.
The project started as a pilot in February of 2011 on the B63 route in Brooklyn. It has currently been expanded to all bus routes in Staten Island and the Bronx as well as the M34/A in Manhattan and B61 in Brooklyn.
MTA Bus Time is Good for Riders
With the MTA Bus Time, riders no longer have to wonder where their next bus is. You can use the system from the bus stop, from your home or office, or anywhere you can carry your mobile phone. By checking MTA Bus Time, you can save time by heading to the stop when the bus will soon arrive. For instructions on how to use each version of Bus Time visit the help pages for:
MTA Bus Time Will Be Good for Local Businesses
The MTA Bus Time system includes support for a "Do It Yourself" Bus Arrival Sign that any local business can easily install with standard computer hardware and an internet connection. A browser is set to a URL to display bus information for specific locations. In Chicago, this approach has allowed local business owners to attract customers who might otherwise be waiting for the bus, while at the same time providing more places that riders can get real-time information about their buses.
A forthcoming addition to the website will include an online configuration tool that will make creating the necessary URL even easier.
MTA Bus Time is Good for the MTA
Aside from improving the bus-riding experience, MTA Bus Time represents a big step forward in how the MTA delivers technology to our customers. The MTA has developed the system following an "open" strategy that is highly cost-effective, quick to deploy, simple to maintain and operate, and supports expansion as needed in the future. To learn more, read about the MTA Bus Time Technology.
In addition, the MTA will be using the system ourselves to help make things like scheduling, service management, and emergency response even better.