SEPTA’s getting there with real-time system updates

I like to think that I’ve got pretty good SEPTA juju. But like every other Philly transit rider, sometimes you just get SEPTA’d. And on those days it’s nice to get some real-time information courtesy of a growing field of mobile apps fed by SEPTA’s open data.

I look to NEXT Septa or Google Transit to get the schedule. I’ll check SEPTA.mobi or Skookul to try to figure out where on earth my bus is. Lately my route has had some detours because of construction so this week I’ve been testing out SEPTA’s own System Status page which, as Technically Philly reported, went live on Friday.

System Status integrates TransitView for real-time vehicle locations (updated every 3 minutes) with information about service delays, alerts, or suspensions. Best yet it works for bus, trolley, and subway lines.

Sitting at your computer, SEPTA’s System Status page is a nice upgrade that will allow people to plan trips more carefully. Sadly, System Status is clunky to use on a mobile device.

All of this got me wondering: Do you bother looking up SEPTA information or do you just show up at your stop and hope for the best? Have you tried any of the mobile transit interfaces or apps? If so, have you found one you thinks work really well? Do you use the endangered species of transit information: the paper schedule?

How do you get your transit information? Do tell.