Belleville transit app now tells you how many people are on the bus you’re waiting for

A picture from pre-pandemic times of customers getting on a number 7 bus. 

By James Tubb

BELLEVILLE – Belleville city transit riders will now be able to see how full buses are before they get on. 

The city announced Wednesday that the transit system has introduced a real-time passenger volume indicator that allows riders to track the number of people on the buses via its transit app.

It means any potential passengers can instantly see how busy a bus is and decide whether or not to wait for the next bus.

The current maximum passenger volume on city buses is 30 people.

The indicator is colour-coded to indicate a range of grey icons from zero to up to 30 passengers for a full bus.

Riders will now be able to see when a bus is reaching or at capacity, prior to boarding. The legend below is set to reflect the bus’s capacity load.

• Zero dark grey “person” icons – empty or an almost empty bus
• One dark grey “person” icon – 10 passengers
• Two dark grey “person” icons – 20 passengers
• Three dark grey “person” icons – 30 passengers/full bus

Worried about how many people are on the bus?

Download the TRANSIT app and know how busy your bus is before you board.

The icon under the bus shows in real time if the bus is empty, half full or at capacity.@transitapp pic.twitter.com/FUoewK4yok

— Belleville Transit (@BUSBELLEVILLE) January 27, 2021

“We are very pleased to be able to offer our riders this convenient new feature,” said Paul Buck, manager of transit operations, in the city’s statement released Wednesday.

“The update will not only allow users to view when a bus might be at capacity, saving them time and effort, but it will also hopefully provide them with more peace of mind while navigating the system during these challenging times.”

Residents who already have the transit app will not need to re-download the app for this update. It is activated automatically and is up-and-running now.