Dublin Bus mobile app being retired

coylemj · 09-05-2023 9:48am #1

We wish to advise customers that on Tuesday 16 May our apps will be removed from both Apple and Android platforms and from Tuesday 23 May our apps will no longer return real time bus information.

The National Transport Authority have launched a new TFI Live app which allows you to access real time departure and journey planning information across the Transport for Ireland network.

The TFI Live app will be the only app for up-to-date reliable information, and we are pleased to be supporting one public transport app.

https://www.dublinbus.ie/News-Centre/General-News/Dublin-Bus-Apps/

The TFI Live app doesn't provide the DB timetables in the same format as the DB app so I'm not happy with this development. In the DB app, you can see all of the departures for the day in one table, TFI Live only shows one departure at a time.

bk · 09-05-2023 10:25am

Also the Dublin Bus app shows the fare for a particular journey (though wrong amount), which the TFI Live app doesn't.

LXFlyer · 09-05-2023 12:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058295786/dublin-bus-mobile-app-being-retired

You can still see all of the Dublin Bus timetables at this page:

https://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Your-Journey1/Timetables/

Just bookmark that page or add it to your Home screen on your phone and you can continue to see them all directly.

LXFlyer · 09-05-2023 12:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120573902#Comment_120573902

That’s another retgrograde step unfortunately.

odyssey06 · 09-05-2023 1:29pm

The TFI app search is very poor on initial use ... you should be able to select whether you are searching for a route. If I search for H1, H2, H3 route stops I get a flood of nonsense results.

Citrus_8 · 09-05-2023 5:33pm

TFI app isn't worth to be in my device. It doesn't pass my minimum requirements and basic expectations.

halfpastneverr · 09-05-2023 9:44pm

The TFI Live app is somehow worse than the previous TFI app, nothing is user-friendly, simple, or intuitive. The DB app has a lot wrong with it, (the map function has been broken for years!) but it is simple to view timetables and search for stops and doesn't throw out ridiculous search results like the TFI Live does.

I've been bookmarking my routes on bustimes.org and using it more and more, so will just use it 100% when DB app goes away.TFI app is a frustrating waste of time, like most of their innovations and improvements.

Hurrache · 09-05-2023 9:47pm

The TFI app is also pretty brutal in giving you a full set of journeys and connections, it always leaves out things.

The previous iteration when it was Journey Planner was much better.

mikeybhoy · 10-05-2023 11:14am

Wrong thread

bucketybuck · 10-05-2023 11:18am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120574321#Comment_120574321

Timetables are not live or real time information. A theoretical timetable does not tell me if the bus is actually coming or not.

Citrus_8 · 10-05-2023 11:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120578827#Comment_120578827

Your comment was exactly about the timetables and you got a response about the timetables ;)

LXFlyer · 10-05-2023 11:41am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120578827#Comment_120578827

I was replying to someone else who viewed the timetables through the app and wanted to continue to see the timetables, and hence I provided a link to do so.

coylemj · 10-05-2023 3:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120578827#Comment_120578827

I think most people know the difference betwen realtime information and a timetable.

If I plan on meeting some friends in town next Tuesday at 7 p.m., the timetable will tell me which bus I should aim to get. That's the purpose of a timetable.

bucketybuck · 10-05-2023 3:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120578851#Comment_120578851

It wasn't my comment.

POBox19 · 10-05-2023 4:07pm

There are other Apps besides TFI and Dublin Bus. Such as Next Bus, Ireland/Dublin Bus Realtime and Moovit which presumably continue to operate.

p_haugh · 10-05-2023 4:24pm

Along with citymapper and plain old Google maps. But from what I can see however, they have yet to adopt the new GTFS API.

bk · 10-05-2023 8:45pm

While the new app is pretty dreadful, the big win is really the new realtime GTFS API and the extra data it provides becoming available on Google Maps and all the other apps. Bustimes.org being a great example of this.

Maybe third times a charm for a proper decent TFI app?

Hurrache · 11-05-2023 9:22am

But if the same info that the app itself uses is being supplied via its API, everything that accesses it are also going to have the same incomplete or incorrect data.

GLaDOS · 11-05-2023 11:54am

Trying to add my saved stops to the new TFI app in advance of this. Search doesn't seem to work half the time, and when it does, it's touch and go whether the real time displays. Feels like a beta test.

Edit: my fault, make sure you pick the "list" option when searching, "map" (the default) doesn't seem to work.

LXFlyer · 11-05-2023 12:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120582829#Comment_120582829

The map takes a while (far too long) to switch to your location.

bk · 11-05-2023 3:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120582160#Comment_120582160

The issues most people seem to have are with the app itself, rather than the data. Poor user interface, poor functionality, app crashing, slow to load, etc.

While the API data certainly isn’t perfect, it seems to be mostly pretty decent and improving with time. I find Citymapper, Google Maps and Bustimes.org to all work very well with the same data.

Hurrache · 12-05-2023 9:02am

The app is terrible alright, the but data it presents is an issue. When both were live for a period the new app always omitted journeys and connections that I knew existed that the original app returned, and it still omits some. In fact you can refresh a journey within seconds and you can get a variance on the results each time.

bk · 12-05-2023 9:56am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120586467#Comment_120586467

That sounds more like an issue with the app, then the data, sounds like an issue with how the app interprets the data. Have you tried the same journey on Google Maps, Citymapper, etc.? If those apps don’t show the same issue, then it isn’t the data.

Hurrache · 12-05-2023 12:46pm

Just done a comparison between TFI and Google, and bizarrely out of all trips returned there's only 1 in common, and even at that the time is out by several minutes but I'll put that down to maybe 1 using RTI and the other not.

coylemj · 12-05-2023 12:47pm

I see several people mentioning Google Maps. When I click on a local bus stop, it shows a list of buses and how many minutes before they are due but they're all flagged as 'Scheduled' which suggests the data is based on the timetable. Is it possible to get realtime arrival data for buses in Google Maps?

p_haugh · 12-05-2023 2:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120587338#Comment_120587338

From what I can tell, Google maps and citymapper have yet to implement the new updated GTFS realtime api.

Both currently only show scheduled times, whereas a couple of months ago they would both show actual real-time data

dfx- · 22-05-2023 2:00pm

Back into the unknown we go! All in the name of having a TFI branded app.

Esel · 22-05-2023 2:56pm

TFI Live app is brutal and unusable, imo.

NextBus Dublin app seems OK as a replacement for Dublin Bus app.

trellheim · 22-05-2023 3:05pm

whatever idiots in NTA are pushing this need to take a long look at themselves and wonder why they are cutting off good working apps because it aint progress. The replacement app is just plain cat and seems to have been designed by a hermit from 1991

All most people want to do is "stops near me" . Is there a map button ? No you have to press "departures" which give you a choice of a map or a list (said list useless at any scale).

favourites should be a button at the top and so should timetables .

bk · 22-05-2023 6:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120627492#Comment_120627492

I mean the DB app was definitely something out of the past, for instance it still hadn't been updated to work with wide screen iPhones which have been out for 6 years now! GPS didn't work on it for almost two years and there was the time they didn't pay for the Google Maps licensing! Oh and the fares wrong. It was clear that the DB app wasn't really being maintained constantly and properly. Pretty bad for any app to look like that.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending the new TFI app, it is terrible, but the DB app wasn't the answer either, it was really poor too.

And it wasn't done in the name of branding. An app just for DB, isn't much good with an integrated transport system, when we are trying to encourage people to transfer between DB, GA, Dart and Luas. One app that covers them all certainly makes sense, it just needs to be executed on FAR BETTER.

Murph_D · 23-05-2023 7:49am

I have to say I don't have the same negative experience with TFI Live, using on an iPhone. It loads quickly and while it took me a while to figure out how to save things to 'favourites' (duh, the star at the top right of the screen), it seems to work fine. Search and timetables and journeys seems to work fine for me. Mind you, my needs are simple - usually a single bus journey into town from close to the terminus, with no transfers.

Just to put it out there that maybe this app is not necessarily as bad as some people are saying? I used the DB app too and to be honest I don't see much of a difference.

bk · 23-05-2023 9:07am

"Just to put it out there that maybe this app is not necessarily as bad as some people are saying? I used the DB app too and to be honest I don't see much of a difference."

It is pretty poor for me. I've had the app crash on me a few times and I've had it get stuck and need to be restarted. That is shocking to me, I've an iPhone and rarely see apps do that.

The map is slow to load, much slower then the old map and I agree it is hidden away in the UI, when really it should be front and center.

The Live bus feature only shows one bus and not all buses in the area (like bustimes.org) does. If you are on a bus stop that has multiple routes this is annoying, it should be an option at least (I can also understand that some people might only want to see one bus and not have a cluttered interface).

The Journey planner seems super slow.

The journey planner directs me to walk through a private, gated development that I can't enter.

There is no fares calculator, which there really should be.

There is no notice or news board, info about cancelled services, redirected routes, etc.

The UI just looks like something from a government department, doesn't have great usability.

Check out Citymapper for an app with a great UI IMO. You launch Citymapper and it immediately shows the map of your current location on top with nearby stops and then on the lower half the journey planner options, including regularly used options like "Get Me Home/Work/Saved Places" and then below that the other tabs. If you click on a bus stop to view the departure times, it shows the times on the bottom half, while continuing to show the map above and even directions on how to get to the stop, by comparison the TFI app awkwardly closes the map and shows the list of the stop details, which is hard to navigate around. Scroll down on the Citymapper app and it shows recent trips which is very handy. By comparison it is a really well thought out UI and app.

brianc89 · 23-05-2023 9:50am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120630328#Comment_120630328

I've changed my opinion on the TFI app and would agree that it's not necessarily as bad as people say, or at least it has improved from the last time I used it.

However, it's definitely not a good app. Very poor by standards we should expect.

•Does Citymapper work for all modes?

•Does it use the live bus times data?

•Does it work for local link and other routes around Ireland?

p_haugh · 23-05-2023 11:39am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120630500#Comment_120630500

Citymapper currently only works for the Greater Dublin area mainly, with some longer distance routes also shown (I.e. Irish rail to cork).

Also, it used to show realtime data but currently only shows scheduled time, perhaps it hasnt updated to the new API version just yet.

It supports bus, rail, Luas, Dublin bikes and taxis. There's a bleeper option too but it hasn't worked for a good while

SuperBowserWorld · 23-05-2023 11:56am

I use Next Bus Dublin - Stephen McBride. Android phone.

I think it's one of the few apps I've ever paid for. 2 quid well spent years ago. 👍

Citrus_8 · 23-05-2023 12:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120631045#Comment_120631045

I have just checked it and I would only pay if the design would be better. Also, the app icon is off the old DB livery.

apache · 23-05-2023 12:11pm

I've been using the old app for years with no complaints. I see it's being retired. Today?

Just downloaded the new app. Hopefully it goes good.

devnull · 23-05-2023 12:14pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120631119#Comment_120631119

It's being retired today yes, I don't actually have it on any device at the moment so I have no idea if it still works or not.

It was supposed to be linked with the Dublin Bus website being refreshed at some point today.

apache · 23-05-2023 12:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120631131#Comment_120631131

I'm still using it today.

MrVestek · 23-05-2023 12:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120631045#Comment_120631045

Looks like this app was using the same API that was supplying the Dublin Bus app, which I assume has also been turned off now.

I say this as a fellow Next Bus Dublin app that has been unable to get it to load any timetable info since the main Dublin Bus app switch off date.

SuperBowserWorld · 23-05-2023 12:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120631082#Comment_120631082

There is a free version ... probably.

I also use his Next Train app, free version

lil5 · 23-05-2023 1:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120631045#Comment_120631045

The Next Bus Dublin app has been worth every cent over the years, especially the bus tracking. Haven't been using it much lately, but it does seem to be the case, that the real-time feed needs updating, which Stephen will hopefully get around to soon.

I only had the occasional peek on the Dublin Bus app over the years for the fares (when it was still working).

The Next Train App (which I've only been using for the Dart) does exactly what I need it to do and it does it very well.

The TFI offering is woeful and overcomplicated, not just for occasional use. It's something I'd expect to be produced from a government-linked source, after a huge amount of project managers, analysts, developers and plenty of decision makers, have gathered for 1001 meetings, working groups and releases.

But any apps usefulness is only as good as the data it's going to display and unfortunately the bus travel data in Dublin hasn't really all that much improved over the years. It still suffers from operational issues, be that cancellations (that may or may not be updated in the system), shortened services, driver changes along the route and technical issues. Manual system updates keep falling by the wayside and ghost buses are still daily occurrences.

bk · 23-05-2023 2:32pm

Unfortunately, the Next Bus Dublin app doesn't work for me on iPhone.

"But any apps usefulness is only as good as the data it's going to display and unfortunately the bus travel data in Dublin hasn't really all that much improved over the years. It still suffers from operational issues, be that cancellations (that may or may not be updated in the system), shortened services, driver changes along the route and technical issues. Manual system updates keep falling by the wayside and ghost buses are still daily occurrences."

Having worked on many API's myself, as we often say "Crap In, Crap Out". The new API looks excellent, but it can only be as good as the data input to it. If bad data is getting into it, then that is a "process" issue, rather then a technology one.

bk · 23-05-2023 2:35pm

Dublin Bus have a shiny new website.

They clearly want to hire more people :)

Unfortunately no way of working out the short fare from the journey planner. Mostly links off to the TFI website for Journey Planner, etc.

SuperBowserWorld · 23-05-2023 2:43pm

Can confirm

" from Tuesday 23 May our apps will no longer return real time bus information"

...

Used Next Bus this morning and it worked fine..it's now hanging on me.

AX636 · 23-05-2023 3:38pm

Another app called Moovit, reasonably good

Citrus_8 · 23-05-2023 4:14pm

Moovit has a bad reputation of expired timetables. They focus too much to expanding city list, but not maintaining data accuracy.

Citrus_8 · 23-05-2023 4:15pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120631819#Comment_120631819

I like a new DB website. Funny how colour scheme can make such a huge difference. In comparison, TFI website already looks outdated and dead, but that's just because of a boring colour scheme and some not very clear menu options.

I admit, job ads on the DB website gives and odd impression that it's a new company looking to open and so looking for a startup staff. I think it's because of how static the first page look, even though they do have some dynamic info (news/announcements). However, I like it much more than the TFI. I also like that DB will continue have timetables, even though it's in a pdf format. That's a bit lazy decision.

apache · 23-05-2023 5:13pm

The old app is no longer working. I used it earlier. Tried the new one. Don't like it at all. Maybe I just need to get used to it. It's a bit messy.

p_haugh · 23-05-2023 6:37pm

Looks like they simply shut off the Dublin Bus API. Shame, as the Vehicle ref data from it was quite handy.

p_haugh · 23-05-2023 7:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120631819#Comment_120631819

The new timetable page looks nice, but I have some (somewhat nitpicky) issues with it.

Each route takes up way too much space. They could convey the same info if they made it span more of the screen horizontally, and put the text on one line. Also, the PDF link is the same text as the "Buses From/To" section, so just make that the clickable link.
You should be able to type in a route, compared to only being able to select from a drop-down.
Only a visual thing, but the search boxes don't clear after you search. So if you select 46a and search, then go back and put in "Blackrock" in the location filter, it shows the routes result for the specified location while still showing 46a in the drop-down menu. Furthermore, if you had searched by location, and then go to try select a route, it will always default to the location value until you manually clear it.

And if both "Realtime Information" and "Journey Planner" links already redirect to the TFI website, why did Dublin Bus bother with their own timetable page? The TFI site also has a timetable page like the 2 other options...

Dublin Bus mobile app being retired

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