Listen up, Chicago residents: If you rely on the CTA bus system and you aren’t using the 99-cent Buster: The Chicago Bus Tracker, you’re seriously missing out.
I choose to take the bus rather than the “L,” so when the CTA rolled out its bus tracker last year it changed my life. No more waiting in the rain, snow or sun (and if you know Chicago, you know that could be the weather in a single day).
Before I found Buster I relied on ctabustracker.com, the official bus tracker, and bookmarked my favorite routes in Safari. But even with that shortcut, the site isn’t optimized for the iPhone and is slow—not great when you have just minutes to catch the bus.
With Buster, you find your bus route by number or name and then choose your stop, which is usually the street corners where the bus stops. Buster then displays the times of the next available bus in an eye-pleasing, large font. If the route is one you use often, tap the star to add it to your favorites list for easy access in the future.
Plus, Buster’s load time is fast.
If you’re not sure where the closest stop is, tap Map. Buster finds your location and displays nearby stops. Tapping any of those stops shows you how long before the next bus, letting you know if you need to run or walk.
If I’m in downtown Chicago, there are several bus routes I can take home. Buster accommodates that. After you select your main route and stop, choose “All Routes” at the top of the screen and you’ll be shown all other bus routes coming your way.
My advice? Spend the buck on Buster.
