[this app evolved from PblPdx, which is still available for the moment http://forums.getpebble.com/discussion/8310/watchapp-2-0-pblpdx-get-next-bus-arrivals-on-your-wrist/]
This will be the support/development thread for PblParada, a multi-city watchapp for finding the next arrivals at a given bus/train stop.
Right now it supports the cities provided by NextBus: http://www.nextbus.com/predictor/agencySelector.jsp. I will be adding to this list, AND, I will be putting the service code on github so you can contribute cities too.
The current build on the Pebble App Store is the first alpha. I appreciate your help and patience both improving its performance, and adding new cities and transit services.
Known issues:
- The imagery on the app store is a placeholder slash joke. hang onto your pants while I beg my friend to make some art for it.
- NYC support seems to be removed by Nextbus, like they only show 2 bus lines, and the page says: "NextBus plans to shut down our prediction pages for the MTA in Brooklyn. We've been providing this service at no cost. Please email info@nextbus.com if you'd like us to continue providing this service."
- Looks like some cites (Boston MBTA, for example) have over 100 routes and Nextbus refuses to send any - resulting in "None nearby" message. The only option is to get a list of routes and query each one individually, silly Nextbus. This may not ratelimit my service as long as I cache the values for a good while. Thankfully I can make this fix serverside (no update to watchapp or JS required).
Tips:
- It's made to work as you stand right at the stop itself. So you won't get any results if you're sitting at work or home, or down the block. The idea is to have it guess the stop correctly so you don't have to fiddle with a UI, it just shows the arrivals.
- GPS accuracy and speed varies a lot between devices. I'm trying to strike a balance but currently if it can't get your fix to within 75m, it keeps trying to get a better fix.
If you experience bugs, please get in touch with me so I can send you a debugging build. Thanks!