TTC: Best Smartphone App

[W. K. Lis]

I must perform thread necromancy here. Much has changed in the seven years since I started this thread with regards to the transit apps with new features added and bugs fixed.

I got myself an iPhone 12 Pro Max (yes, I can afford it) and am using Freedom Mobile.

I am thinking of either the Transit App or Rocketman.

For either, yes, I will pay to remove ads, but I prefer a one-time payment.

Spoiler: What happened to my Sony Xperia Z Ultra?

We now use it as a Chromecast remote control. The phone is physically larger than the iPhone 12 Pro Max, but the iPhone 12 Pro Max has a larger usable screen than the Sony Xperia Z Ultra. I had two other smartphones in between.

Always wondered if ALL the smartphones can use the same cell phone number? In other words, they all "ring" when any of them get a call?

 

[Johnny Au]

Here's the Transit App:

‎Transit • Bus & Train Times

‎“You won't realize how much time you can save planning until you use this app” - LA Times “Killer app” - WSJ "MBTA has a favorite transit app — and it's called Transit" - Boston Globe Transit is your real-time urban travel companion. Navigate your city’s public transit system with accurate...

apps.apple.com

This one is created by a Quebecker and is considered by many to be the best transit app, not only for Toronto, but for many transit agencies across the world

Here's Rocketman:

‎Rocketman – Bus & Train Times

‎Use the Rocketman app so you can enjoy your ride while earning cash on the side with exclusive Rocketman Rewards. The Rocketman app helps busy commuters stay ahead of their transit route with real-time public transit arrival times, transit crowding reports, and delay alerts. Eliminate the...

apps.apple.com

This one is created by RBC Ventures and now has a feature that can tell how crowded a vehicle is (real-time for TTC, estimated for other transit agencies)

I am still torn between the two.

 

[Johnny Au]

Always wondered if ALL the smartphones can use the same cell phone number? In other words, they all "ring" when any of them get a call?

Only if they have the same SIM card as the cell phone number is stored within the SIM card.

I am however still waiting for replies from UT members if Transit app or Rocketman is better and the previous replies are from 2013/2014 and many new features have been added and many bugs have been fixed since then.

 

[nfitz]

I am however still waiting for replies from UT members if Transit app or Rocketman is better and the previous replies are from 2013/2014 and many new features have been added and many bugs have been fixed since then.

I've never used either much. Though, Transit was very useful in Montreal in 2019, as it's the only thing that seemed to track STM vehicles. And seems to do GO well.

I mostly used the https://www.transsee.ca/ website, with a subscription to remove ads. It's not as fancy, but very deep data. And unlike many apps, makes it easy to see off-route vehicles. And easy to bookmark your frequent stops. And it's added GO ... worked well for subway trains when I was in New York City last in 2019 (where the waits for trains can be a lot longer than in Toronto, off-peak).

Though I also like the quite primitive http://totransit.ca/ website on my Android for quickly seeing WHERE all the vehicles are.

If I'm just randomly somewhere, and want to see what the options for, the Nextbus app itself is good.

Of course these days, I just do my work in the basement, with a view of the road, and run to the door every time the Purolator truck or the postman's legs pass by ...

 

[EastYorkTTCFan]

May favorite transit app is city mapper as it can be used in other cities as well. All you need to do is open it up in whatever city you're in and it will ask if you want to switch to using it. As an example I was able to use it in Sydney Australia a few years ago.