Those who often take public transport can use an app on their smartphone today that allows them to know the exact time when the bus or subway will arrive at a certain stop. In this way it is possible to know, with reasonable certainty, how long before leaving home, how long you have to wait, how long you can stay to have a coffee at the bar without risking losing the next bus and how long you want before arriving at your destination .
In cities like Milan and, above all, like Rome where the subway is a poor service, knowing bus timetables is really essential to move .
Among the various applications, the most famous, the one that really proposes itself as a GPS navigator for public transport around the world or almost, is called Moovit, available for Android smartphones, iPhones and Windows Phones .
Moovit monitors the routes of all buses in many cities around the world.
Speaking of Italian cities, the inhabitants of Bergamo, Bologna, Brescia, Cagliari, Catania, Cremona, Florence, Genoa, Massa, Carrara, Matera, Milan, Naples, Padua, Palermo, Pisa, Potenza, Rome can use the power of Moovit Salerno, Sassari, Siena, Syracuse, Taranto, Turin, Trento, Trieste, Gorizia, Udine, Venice.
Other cities will be added as the app extends its services and you can check its web page to find out more.
The application, really effective, locates the position of the phone and shows on the map the closest stops with the indication of the bus numbers that pass there.
By touching a stop you can see the buses passing by and by touching the bus number you can check its route and know all the stops it makes.
For each bus a timetable is written which is updated in real time and which refers to the exact time when that bus will pass at the stop closest to us.
For each bus there is also a timetable which should pass at each stop.
By touching the search bar it is possible, as you would do with Google Maps or Tomtom, to set the address to reach and follow the indications given by Moovit, very precise, regarding the public transport to be taken and the timetables .
During the journey, you can touch the " traveling " icon to know exactly what time you will arrive at your destination.
The app, written in Italian, is very reliable also because all its users can exchange information about possible bus delays, road accidents and any changes in route.
The data provided by local public transport companies are then combined with information from passenger users who can signal alternative routes a bit like with the Waze navigator.
The app also allows you to read the Metro News online newspaper, to set your favorites and to receive notifications even sound some time before the arrival of the bus, so that you can also wait for it absently without having to check the number of each passing vehicle.
Moovit is a complete and in full development app that I recommend to all those who travel by bus and metro to find timetables and travel with less stress.
Alternatively, there are also other more localized apps.
For example, there is RomaBus, for Android and iPhone, very well made, which works similarly to Moovit, providing real-time bus transit times at each stop in Rome.
Good also Probus Rome for Android and Milan Bus for Android, with all the timetables updated in real time and the bus, train and subway stops.
For other Italian cities it is worth doing a search in the various stores and checking if there is any localized app even if I don't think there is something better than Moovit.
