Virtual pocket clock to improve punctuality of MTA buses

MTA New York City Transit recently announced that the MTA Bus Time service will provide its users with a new virtual pocket “countdown clock” that will show bus location information according to distance-based information at any stop throughout the city, which will enable bus riders to see the time that their bus will arrive as well as enable them to plan their trips with better punctuality.

It is available on the MTA website as a desktop service or as a free, downloadable app for both Android and iOS smartphones.

“It’s like having a countdown clock for your bus in your pocket; we’re excited to expand the time-based predictions on MTA Bus Time to all the remaining boroughs of the city,” Darryl Irick, president of MTA Bus and senior vice president, NYC Transit Department of Buses, said. “This feature was available to Bronx-based customers for the last four months and we received lots of positive feedback and requests for expansion, and we are happy to oblige.”

The new service first began in June, and now the MTA wants to further improve its service with more user-friendly features. Now there is a map-based street grid view, which shows various buses as they move in real time. There are also time-based arrival estimates -- which were previously only available to Bronx bus routes -- and automatic displays of bus routes nearby the user.

The new feature is scheduled to begin on Sunday, Oct. 4.