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34 comments · 20 top-level

rockmeamedee6y ago· 2 in thread

Big ups! I use this all the time in winter while waiting for the 55. I definitely assumed you worked at Ubisoft across the street!

Btw, from some experience spending cold winters looking at it, it flickers a lot by having so many screen changes, making it tiring to see the screen change so much. L'AUTOBUS - SERA - LA - DANS - 5... - MINUTES - GREG . - TECHNOLOGY. It would be easier on the eyes if it changed less often.

Thanks so much anyways!

gregsadetskyOP6y ago

Ha, small world :-)

Agreed on timing, it could be better. I'll consider skipping some of the words + make them appear slower. Thanks for the suggestion!

BrandoElFollito6y ago

Me too!

No, just kidding, I am in France but the idea is awesome. Simply fantastic.

dotmanish6y ago· 2 in thread

This is awesome work and thank you for doing this for public without asking.

P.S. does the transit authority offer an API or is this prone to breaking when they change their page layout?

[edit: I just read about the rumor on your webpage. Clarifies.]

gregsadetskyOP6y ago

Thank you!

As many other transit authorities, the STM [0] offers "GTFS" data (a standard feed format for transit info) [1].

Mucking around STM's public site, you'll also see the schedule information go by if you inspect the network requests. From what I've seen, their API endpoints are stable, reliable and fast. I've had to do ~2 updates in >1 year of service.

[0] http://stm.info/en [1] http://www.stm.info/en/about/developers

[ edit: that rumor is just a rumor :-) ]

If you use MITMProxy or Charles you can easily intercept the traffic on 99% of all iPhone/Android apps (bit harder if pinned-sertificate). These API’s are often stable because a lot of users don’t update their apps that often.

ezconnect6y ago

In S. Korea most bus station have a display showing the current position of the bus and the estimated waiting time. Recently they are changing the display to show the bus stop remaining and removed the estimated time of arrival.

Lots of people use app so when the bus is about to arrive the bus station will suddenly get busy and full of people.

superhuzza6y ago· 2 in thread

I live nearby and often use this when catching the 55! Sort of surreal to start reading your post and immediately recognize it's something from just a block away!

galphanet6y ago

Hey, I also take the 55 but I never saw the screen!

gregsadetskyOP6y ago

This is so sweet to read! Thank you!!

st3807521436y ago· 1 in thread

In China, they can get these bus message on a smartphone at mostly main city. The app would show the bus location and predict the time bus would reach according to the traffic status graphically.

numbsafari6y ago

We get this in the US in most major cities as well. But sometimes you don’t want to deal with smartphones and apps with bad UI developed by Fortune 500 firms for regional transit authorities, you just wish there would be a simple sign next to the stop that gave you 2 pieces of information: “BUS X IN Y MINUTES”.

whalesalad6y ago· 2 in thread

Awesome! This has reminded me of an old Heroku app that has been sitting idle for years: https://wmata-status.herokuapp.com (before the Silver line, which is why the UI is all wonked now)

I wanted to do something similar to try and reinvent the old/ugly/hard-to-parse televisions scattered around the DC metro.

gregsadetskyOP6y ago

Lovely UI, congrats!! You should definitely consider doing a 'gonzo' TV install somewhere in the city where you have access to power, wifi and shelter.

I believe the UI is great and will work perfectly on big-screens installed at stations. Kudos for making the app and such a nice UI.

vectorEQ6y ago· 1 in thread

really cool project man, props! bit strange they don't do this ,but i suppose Canada is A LOT larger than my country so perhaps it's harder to roll out decent services in all places :D very nice stuff though! the most annoying thing in the world to me is waiting on something without a clear indication of when the wait will end so you are doing a big big service to these poor people :D

gregsadetskyOP6y ago

Thanks! Some bus stations in Montreal do have small digital signs announcing the next departures. I’m sure those devices cost a bit of money and need to be serviced, so it makes sense that not all stations get them. (All stations do have a paper schedule which is neat, but isn’t real time info..!)

OJFord6y ago· 1 in thread

blinks ouch, perhaps it's just my colour-blindness, but just fyi I can't read your site at all unless I highlight the text.

Awesome public service with the Pi bus times though, love it!

gregsadetskyOP6y ago

I sincerely apologize, I just relaunched my site and did not take that into consideration. I’ll definitely revisit this. Thank you!

m4636y ago

That is a very kind thing to do.

jperras6y ago· 1 in thread

Ha! I live a few blocks from that corner. Always wondered who set that up and for what reason.

Nicely done. Hopefully the construction there will end soon, too.

gregsadetskyOP6y ago

Thank you! So happy to see the response from Montreal (/ Mile End) HNers :-)

Ah, so that is your work! I always found it amusing.

boblebricoleur6y ago

You, sir, are a modern-time knight

MrZongle26y ago

Great job! This is an excellent example of being able to contribute to one's community with a small but nonetheless substantive project.

sAbakumoff6y ago· 1 in thread

I am just wondering here - why does not the bus stop have the digital schedule set up? Is it normal for Canada?

gregsadetskyOP6y ago

Canada's a big country :-) As far as I understand, local transit authorities in every city have the autonomy to decide how they spend their budgets. A digital sign is useful, but is it worth having one at every single stop, considering the cost to buy them, the necessary infrastructure (electricity, internet access), the support costs to repair/replace them, etc.?

Also, paper schedules have been part of all stops here for a long time. Considering that the buses are pretty reliable, the paper schedule typically does the job. And you can always use the transit authority's website or one of the many mobile apps to see if there's an unexpected delay.

lostlogin6y ago

Given how this has been received, interspersed HN headlines will have to be added.

INTPenis6y ago· 1 in thread

If the buses have GPS then Montreal should launch an app. They did that here where I live and now everyone can see where each bus is, live, on a map of the city. Best thing ever for us control freaks.

gregsadetskyOP6y ago

The transit authority did have an app, which they’ve pulled at some point (as far as I understand, they felt like they couldn’t compete with the level of transit info apps out there — which isn’t untrue). There’s also the Transit app [0] that is made in Montreal, so I guess that they (the transit authority) were happy to shine a light on that (pretty great) app.

In any case, one of the neat things about the Pi sign is that it works for everyone (whether you have a phone or not), and is part of the urban landscape. You can use your phone for more important things, or just leave it alone a few minutes while you wait. :)

[0] https://transitapp.com/

In big cities in Poland it's a common thing. Good job tho

paines6y ago

How cool are you! Great idea.

illinx6y ago

I know this stop and have always appreciated your sign. Thank you +1!

horacio_colbert6y ago

You, Sir, are a hero.

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