Your Ride In REAL-TIME
Download Transit to know where your bus or train is at all times
Transit provides real-time arrival information for all MTA CityLink, LocalLink, Express BusLink buses, along with Commuter Bus, MARC Train, Metro Subway, and Light Rail service across the region. Whether you are checking the status of your favorite bus route or need step-by-step directions to get somewhere new, Transit and MTA have you covered.
Worried about the app size? It's under 100MB which is 3x smaller than Snapchat!
Download Transit now and get more time back from your busy schedule!
Like the Transit app? You’ll love your free upgrade to Transit Royale!
Tens of thousands of Maryland Transit Administration riders use the Transit app to track their rides in real-time and get accurate arrival times. Now, MTA is investing in making “Transit Royale” available free to all our riders.
With Transit Royale, you can do more than just plan your trip and track your ride. You’ll also be able to:
- Access upcoming departures, route maps and vehicle tracking for all transit lines not just the ones that are in close proximity.
- Plan your trip days and weeks into the future with full schedules and departure times displayed for any line.
- Utilize Transit’s GO feature which guides users throughout their trips, with the ability to customize emojis and nicknames.
- Customize your app with a personalized app icon and color scheme.
- Mark your favorite place with an increased selection of icons.
In addition to the upgrades Transit Royale offers, the agency is taking other steps to improve rider experience, including:
- Installing a second antenna on each bus to increase GPS redundancy and provide more frequent reporting intervals. This helps reduce the occurrence of "ghost" buses and provides more accurate arrival predictions.
- Improving seamless station navigation for Metro Subway users with the newly launched in-application wayfinding system, which includes step-by-step directions to elevators, escalators and platforms.
- Piloting QR code decal signs at select downtown Baltimore Local Bus stops. These signs enable riders to scan and quickly access live online bus arrival times without accessing an app.
If you’re already using the Transit app, Transit Royale will unlock automatically the next time you open it.
If you haven’t tried it yet, download the Transit app with Transit Royale today—where transit riders reign supreme.
How do I use Transit?
When you first open the app, it uses your location to pinpoint the bus routes that pass closest to you.
TIP! Be sure to allow Transit to access your location data during the installation process.
The route display provides pertinent information such as the route name, direction, and stop name. Swipe left or right on a route to change direction. When you see the flashing real-time icon, that means there's a GPS tracker on the bus providing accurate arrival time information.
TIP! Since real-time arrival is based on current bus location, real-time displayed may change depending on traffic conditions.
Tap on a route to pull up more detailed information. This screen displays real-time vehicle locations as icons on the map and their departure times. If you scroll down on the screen, subsequent stops and their route connections appear. Tap on Full Schedule to see all the departure times for your stop, including real-time bus schedules. Swiping left/right will change schedules for the opposite direction.
Planning Your Trip
Transit has a built-in Trip Planner to give you easy-to-use directions:
- Enter a destination by tapping the green search bar on the home screen.
- Select your route to get more details.
- If you want Transit to notify you exactly when you should start walking to catch the bus, launch the GO feature
GO provides step-by-step guidance for your whole trip. GO will recommend when to leave to board, tell you how many stops until your destination, and push notifications when you are approaching and have arrived at your destination.
Real-Time Arrival Alternatives
Unable to download Transit? No worries, MDOT MTA has you covered! We have three options for our passengers to choose from:
- Text the bus stop ID (shown the image) to MTAMD (68263) to receive real-time arrivals for all the routes that pass through that stop. Message & data rates may apply.
- Call 1-866-RIDE-MTA (1-866-743-3682) and select the "Bus Routes Information" option and enter your bus stop ID to hear the next real-time bus arrival information.
- Select your route and stop from our real-time information page for predicted arrival times (best viewed on a mobile device).
