Help other other riders with physical distancing: report real-time crowding levels on your Metro trip with the Transit app

Over the summer, Transit — Metro’s official app — began using recent ridership numbers to predict crowding levels on Metro buses. Now, riders can help contribute! Every time you ride Metro, you can share real-time crowding info in the Transit app.

Tell riders down the line how full or empty your vehicle is by tapping GO every time you ride with the Transit app. With GO, you get step-by-step navigation and help contribute to crowdsourced real-time informationOnce GO detects a rider has hopped aboard a bus or train, it asks a simple question: How crowded is the vehicle? Your anonymous response will be shared with other riders for the next 10 minutes before expiring.

If you’re about to hop on board, you’ll be able to view this info to decide whether the next bus or train is the one for you.

If riders haven’t contributed real-time crowding information for your bus trip, predicted crowding levels will be shown. The predictions are based on regularly updated data collected in the prior two weeks from automated passenger counters on Metro buses.

With this new feature in the Transit app, riders can decide whether they want to ride at a particular time, wait for the next bus or train, or seek another way to reach their destination. It’s one of the ways Metro is ensuring the safe return of riders as we recover from COVID-19.

Transit is available as a free download on Google Play and the App Store.

6 replies

  1. MTA and bus drivers don’t care if the bus is over crowded. I’ve been on bus that start of light but than at union station going east the bus picks up more passengers. Then suddenly standing room only especially in the back of the bus. Add more 68 buses doesn’t pass often. The 770 usually picks-up all the passengers at union station if it passes first.

  2. Why do the passengers need to contact the MTA concerning overcrowding since that informations is monitored continually by the Radio System?

    • I thought this was less about telling drivers about how crowded a bus is and rather riders telling each other how terrible Metro is performing at the moment? Not entirely sure how driving radioing each other and their base will help me in regards to how packed a bus is.

  3. I feel the same. Since this virus crap hit, service had been cut back to once an hour. Sometimes operators are not always on schedule. Mostly behind schedule. Tell you the truth, nothing is being done for the convince of the people who going to work everyday still. Since people at the agencies are trying to save money, means that some people have to leave an hour to catch bus, to get to work, not early, but to get their on time, in some areas.

  4. The problem is, “just wait for the next bus” is more than insane under this “modified” schedule. You are talking about some bus lines up to 45~60 minutes per bus. Not to mention pass-up and no-show.