DDOT Launches Real Time Circulator Mobile App

While Metrobus users have been eagerly awaiting the official July re-launch of NextBus, DDOT and Mayor Adrian Fenty announced today that Circulator riders now have a mobile application, dubbed "Where's My Bus?", that allows smartphone users to track Circulator buses in real time. All you have to do is go to http://circulator.dc.gov/ from any mobile device (the url works in any browser, really), select the Circulator route and bus stop, and it'll tell you where the closest bus is.

Of course, given that the concept behind the Circulator is that it's supposed to run every 10 minutes and take away the guess work of how long you'll have to wait, this application is much less crucial for most riders than the forthcoming NextBus service for Metrobus. Still, more information is always better, and we'll surely try out using the service. The site itself is pretty simple, though it does require a minimum of three clicks to get the information you're looking for. It also doesn't give you any approximate times based on the distances between your stop and the bus location -- it merely tells you what intersection the bus is at, and leaves you to decide how long it will take to get from there to where you are.

Given all the fuss over NextBus and the release of WMATA's schedule data, we are heartened to see how fast this mobile app came about since the launch of the two newest Circulator routes, and the spirit in which it was done. Take this passage from the press release:

The DC Government developed the Circulator bus mobile application in house, completing the project remarkably quickly and at minimal cost - it was a joint agency effort to improve the public transit experience using available staff expertise and resources. As an “open source” application, any municipality with a similar bus system and real-time GPS data can adapt and implement the application at minimal cost to increase the convenience of using transit and ultimately improve mobility in our urban areas.

All Circulator data is being made publicly available to encourage other developers in our area to build their own, better applications. The intention is that the tools made available by the District Government would be replicated by other transit agencies across the country, allowing it to transform the way transit information is shared.es across the country, allowing it to transform the way transit information is shared.

Yes, DDOT. That's the way to do it.

Also of note: a DC Circulator Where’s My Bus for iPhone™ application is expected by the end of the summer.