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Metro On The Go App Now Available
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IMPORTANT UPDATE: The Metro On The Go mobile app will be discontinued and will become inoperable on April 30, 2019. Please download the Transit app for your trip planning needs.
You asked for a Metro app — and now you have it! Metro On The Go, the official mobile application of Metro transit, is now available. You can download it for free from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
Metro On The Go lets you plan your trip on Metro transit, check schedules for MetroLink and all 75 MetroBus routes, and tap into real-time vehicle data so you can see when the next bus will arrive — all from the palm of your hand.
Key features:
Trip Planning – Like our web-based Trip Planner, you can use this feature to plan your trips on MetroBus and MetroLink. But with Metro On The Go, you’re also able to save your most recent trips, check for any Rider Alerts and use the location services of your mobile device to easily add your current location to your search.
Route Schedules – With Metro On The Go, you can look at schedules for MetroLink and all 75 MetroBus routes. In addition, you can find arrival times for any individual bus stop along your route, view the route and any selected bus stops on a map, and check for Rider Alerts.
Next Departures – You can enter a location or find a nearby stop using your mobile device’s location service to see what transit options are available there, the next scheduled departure times and if there are any Rider Alerts that may affect your trip. With this feature, you also can tap into real-time vehicle data and know exactly where your bus is.
Next Departures provides real-time arrival and departures times by using information from our vehicle tracking system. You can check the current status of a bus, and even view the bus on a map and see exactly where it is along its route.
The Metro On The Go app is the latest example of the agency’s ongoing commitment to improve your transit experience by using technology to provide more resources for riders. In September of last year, we added a new real-time feature to Metro’s desktop TripPlanner. We also launched a mobile-friendly Trip Planner in December, giving you another option when it comes to planning your commute.
Your commute just got real-time. Download Metro On The Go today!
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I usually just use google maps to plan my trips, but I thought I’d give our local transit authority app a whirl.
Some questions:
1. Why does the splash screen showcase a real functioning transit network, as opposed to ours? You got your logo on there, why not splash an Arch on it too?
2. Why does the trip advice recalculate after I change a parameter, rather than waiting until I input all of my settings? Since it has to go fetch stuff from a database, this adds quite a bit off time.
3. Why, when I request an arrival time, does it give me the same info as a departure time? Did you just not code this feature?
4. Why, if you ask to use my GPS, does the app not give me the closest results to my location by walking or driving? The list I get looks like I’m getting stops by actual proximity, and I cannot fly. (The map correctly locates me, so that’s not the issue.)
5. Why doesn’t the app include walking time in trip planning? Why not estimate wait time and total trip times? This app is useless for actually planning trips, even if the other stuff worked.
I’ll give it a shot when I’m waiting for the bus, because even if I keep using Google to plan my trips, I’d really like real-time functionality. But I am not optimistic.
Matt, we appreciate your detailed feedback and we’ve gone ahead and sent this over to our IT department. In the meantime, if you have any additional suggestions regarding our app, please go here: https://metrostlouis.org/PlanYourTrip/MobileApps.aspx
Is there an android app? Do the app(s) include an ability to text a security situation to Metro? I see the potential to text security issues to Metro as an efficient way to advise officers of a problem quickly. I’m not going to call Metro security — or any other police — when kids are smoking pot and cursing wildly on the train, a mere four feet away from me as they were a Friday evening several weeks ago. The kids might overhear me, and then I could be in danger before a response could be in gear. But I would be willing to text someone. Plus I would think promotional signage of that potential all over the cars and buses could be a deterrent. This seems like a low-cost, effective solution. Hope it’s in the apps. Thanks, as I do love the train.
There is an Android app (link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.metrostlouis.onthego). Metro On The Go does not have the ability to text our public safety officers. We’re currently working on a system, but it’s not yet ready for deployment. In the future, you may always call security when you are safely off the train too.
How do you save a favorite in the app? I see the option listed but do not see a way to actually select a route and save it to my favorites.
Erica, you can favorite a stop through Next Departures.
You spoiled us last week with the new App. was very helpful for a few days, until Friday afternoon errors started. Any updates on when Next Depatures will be working again?
Paul, our IT department is aware of this and is working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
Thanks.
Is the Next Departures function working again? It appears to still be down.
John, a software upgrade is taking longer than expected causing the Next Departures function to not work properly. We hope to return real-time data to our Metro On The Go app and Trip Planner soon.
Thanks for the update!
Wow – Metro has taken something as simple as finding out when your bus is going to arrive (translation – how late will you be getting to work) and elevated it to the level of rocket science. Evidently the individuals that wrote this app have never ridden the bus or know anything about it.
This app is almost completely useless. “Next Departures” seems to be the biggest joke out of all the functions.
Jim, there’s always room for improvement and our Metro On The Go app is no exception. I’d be happy to pass along your feedback to our IT department; however, before I do so, can you provide me with more specifics?
On the metro website there is a place under trip planner where you can select the route and it shows where the busses are along that route and gives the times. Why can’t you recreate this function on the app?
Or if this function is on the app, where is it?
Jim, the function you mention above is available on the Metro On The Go app. In the Next Departures feature, after you’ve entered a stop, address, landmark or nearby stop, you can view the route on a map in real-time by choose the “View Map” option. Once you’ve clicked that option, make sure you select a route at the bottom. This will show the selected route (and the buses along that route) on a map in three different colors (similar to our desktop version): Red = late Blue = on time Green = early.
I was disappointed that the West bound schedules for Metrolink from downtown do not indicate whether the train times are for the Red line or the Blue line trains. It looks like I will have to continue using my printed out PDF schedules. Adding a little color or otherwise annotating these schedules would change them from almost useless to quite useful.
Dave, thank you for the suggestion. We’ll make sure our IT recieves your feedback.
When can we expect to see this released for windows phone?
At this time, there are no plans to developement the Metro On The Go app for Windows-operated phones.
When will we see something like this for Metro’s Call a Ride system, or are we still relegated to using two always-clogged telephone lines?
There are no plans to develop an app for making reservation on Metro Call-A-Ride. But we’re always working on making calls more efficient and reducing wait times for customers. If you make regular trips on Call-A-Ride to and from the same points, you may qualify for pre-scheduled trips that would be set up in advance and not require calling for reservations.
How can I get the Android app for the Metro Bus in Believing, Illinois?
The Metro on the Go App has schedules for Illinois MetroBus routes. Go to the Google Play store and search for Metro On The Go. You can also use this link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?=org.metrostlouis.onthego
So sorry, that should say Belleville, Illinois.
What happened to the NextMetroSTL app. It gave a live update for the wait times for the next trains. Loved it!