Gallery: Don’t Miss the Bus, Gus: 7 Public Transit Apps (And One Workaround) for iOS 6
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The moment I tapped the Maps app on my iPhone was the moment I regretted upgrading to iOS 6. When you use the new Maps tool that comes with the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, you realize it’s not an upgrade at all; it’s actually a huge step backward. Beyond the frequent (and frequently funny) [factual errors](http://theamazingios6maps.tumblr.com/), Apple’s new Maps app lacks a feature for finding directions via public transit -- something many city-dwellers among us are heavily dependent on, and something we’ve had for years inside Google’s map app that was, until this week, the default choice on the iPhone. Google’s map engine gave you driving, walking and public transit directions to your destination. As someone who gets from point A to point B mainly by riding San Francisco Muni lines (a notoriously complicated and unpredictable system), I used that last feature almost daily. The app would even offer a few routes to choose from, so if one failed, there would be another option. With iOS 6, Apple has literally left the public transit riders on the curb. When you tap the “bus” icon in the new Maps, it just directs you to a list of third-party apps that list public-transit info. It’s a messy alternative, especially if you’re unprepared and you get stuck having to download an app over a cell connection. Still downloading ... and you just missed your train. Your best bet is to fortify your iPhone with several transit apps ahead of time. Here are a few solid options (and one great Google Maps workaround) for your newly updated iOS 6 device that will make sure you don’t end up walking home. HopStop ------- This expansive app helps you navigate public transportation systems in more than 60 cities in the U.S., Canada and Europe. (You can find a full list [here](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hopstop-for-iphone-subway/id303217144?mt=8).) And unlike the usual bare-bones Google Maps directions, HopStop will help orient you by giving step-by-step details on which stops you’ll pass in order to get to your destination – very helpful if you’re trying to navigate an unfamiliar city. For human-powered commuting, HopStop also offers efficient walking and biking directions. (The latter is limited to NYC, D.C., S.F. and Chicago.) The app even offers useful and fun facts like departure time, travel length, calories burned, and CO~2~ saved. The maps are easy to read, and you get offline access to available transit maps. But as comprehensive as it is, the app sometimes won’t recognize when you enter landmark destinations like a museum; you’ll need to enter a specific address. Another minor annoyance: A persistent banner ad lines the bottom of the app. [App Store](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hopstop-for-iphone-subway/id303217144?mt=8); Free
02embark
Embark Apps ----------- Embark makes public transit apps for major cities like San Francisco, New York, Chicago and London. Currently the company has 12 apps, each for a specific transit system. For example, San Francisco has two available apps, one for Caltrain and one for BART (but no Muni yet, which is “coming soon”). Each app gives you detailed instructions on which lines to board and when to transfer. It even has a handy “Arrivals” tab that lists arrival times for specific trains and subway lines. If you ride more than one transit system in your city, you’ll have to juggle multiple apps. But overall, Embark’s apps are great for commuters and give you exactly what you want to know, including fare costs, estimated travel times, and service advisories for each system. [Embark Apps](http://letsembark.com/#apps); Free
03lumatic
Lumatic City Maps ----------------- Covering 27 major metropolitan areas -- including New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco -- Lumatic City Maps offers a full-featured interface for getting around your chosen Megalopolis via public transit. In the list view, the app offers street-level photos of where you’re supposed to catch a bus or walk to transfer. It’s a great feature for those who want more visual cues. If you know the way already, simply turn the street images off. The map view indicates which parts of your route you’ll be walking, and which parts you’ll be riding public transit. The icons clutter the screen a bit, but again, it’s another useful visual tool. When you’re looking for directions, the app will suggest multiple routes, though it may send you out of the way -- when I asked to get from the Wired office to Golden Gate Park all the way across town, the provided directions weren’t necessarily the most efficient. The app does, however, give you information about landmarks along the way, which it culls from Yelp, Foursquare, Facebook and Wikipedia. Lumatic’s app seems like an especially good choice for visitors, and a decent one for locals. [App Store](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lumatic-city-maps/id501673331?mt=8); Free
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The Transit App --------------- This app shows up on Apple’s list of recommendations when you click on the “bus” icon in iOS 6’s Maps app, and it’s actually a pretty good choice. The Transit App offers multiple transit options across each of the 19 cities it currently supports, and it’s quick to recognize destination names, even for restaurants and cafes. You also get arrival times for specific transit lines, and you can view all of a line’s stops along a map. But The Transit App has some flaws. For one, there’s no list view for getting turn-by-turn directions. Also, if you want more advanced features like the ability to mark a route as a favorite or save a map for offline browsing, you have to pay a subscription fee. Most notably, the free version comes with only 20 trips, while subscribers can plan an unlimited number of trips. One month will cost you $1, six months is $3 and one year is $5. [App Store](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-transit-app/id498151501?mt=8); Free (with in-app purchases)
05nextbus
iNextBus -------- This app is a great tool if you don’t need specific directions, but if you just want to know when your specific bus or train will be arriving. You can also use it as a secondary app if you’ve already figured out which transit route you’re going to be taking. The interface isn’t the most polished, and you’ll see a constant banner ad at the bottom of the app, but it does the job. You can even mark certain lines as favorites and see each bus’s location on a live map. There are plenty of apps like this for specific cities and areas, but what makes iNextBus useful is that it covers most public transit systems in the U.S. and some areas of Canada. Beware though -- it’s a bit jerky in terms of app navigation, and there are some noticeable glitches, like its habit of repeatedly asking for your current location. [App Store](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/inextbus-realtime-bus-tracker/id451379202?mt=8); Free
06transporter
Transporter ----------- Bay Area commuters, you’ll never have to stand around waiting for a bus or BART train again. This app tells you exactly, in minutes, when an SF Muni, AC Transit, or BART line will arrive at a specific stop. And it’s one of the cleanest apps of the bunch. You can bookmark lines and stops for quick access in the Favorites tab, which you can organize so that your most-used lines appear at the top. A Near Me tab displays a map pointing out the bus stops closest to your current location. It’s not going to give you directions, but it’s a good app to have for those times when you already know how to get where you’re going. Overall, the app has a very intuitive interface, and the arrival times are accurate -- two invaluable qualities when you’re running to catch a bus. One missing feature that would be useful is a live map to track a bus’s current location, like the one iNextBus offers. [App Store](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/transporter-real-time-public/id373726282?mt=8); Free
07roadify
Roadify ------- Roadify aims to make public transit a bit more social. It offers real-time arrivals for transit lines in ten U.S. cities in a good-looking app. You can save the lines you ride most as favorites. But what makes Roadify more fun are the social features throughout the app, like Twitter integration for each line. This is especially entertaining to see on San Francisco Muni lines when users turn to Twitter to vent their rage over late buses and train system delays. More useful are the Twitter updates from official agency accounts that inform users about problems with a line. The app has a “Report” tab, which you can use to notify other Roadify users about a public transit issue you’ve run into. You can also see activity within the Roadify community. To use that particular feature, you have to set up an account on Roadify. But everything else, including PDF maps and a list of parking spots near public transit stations, is available to users without an account. [App Store](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/roadify-train-subway-bus-ferry/id395111132?mt=8); Free
08googlemaps
Google Maps Bookmark -------------------- This isn’t an app as much as it is a workaround: Place a bookmark to the Google Maps webpage onto your device’s home screen and get quick access to the familiar mapping tool through Safari. And just like in the standard Google Maps on the web, and in the Google-powered iOS Maps of the past, you can access public transit directions in almost any location. Sure, it’s not as elegant as navigating a native app, but at least it gives you the closest thing to the old experience -- until Google makes a new Google Maps app for iOS, that is.
