Time-based bus arrivals coming for MTA riders

New Yorkers with smartphones will soon know both how far away their bus is and when it is scheduled to arrive at their stop.

The MTA announced Monday that time-based arrival estimates on all city bus lines will be available on Oct. 4.

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The MTA already provides distanced-based updates to riders, based on thenumber of stops away or the mileage. The MTA says the time-based estimates will help commuters better plan their trips, and is more precise, taking into account traffic conditions and historical travel times.

The MTA has been testing out time-based bus arrivals on Bronx routes for the past four months.

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“It’s like having a countdown clock for your bus in your pocket. We’re excited to expand the time-based predictions on MTA Bus Time to all the remaining boroughs of the city,” said Darryl Irick, President of MTA Bus and Senior Vice President, NYC Transit Department of Buses, in a statement.