this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2025
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the search for a decent public transport solution. (lemmy.ml)
submitted 3 weeks ago by pineapple@lemmy.ml to c/openstreetmap@lemmy.ml
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I've spent a while looking at this point and all the options I've tried so far don't work very well. I'm looking for an app, website or desktop program that has the ability to navigate using public transport. At the moment the best thing I've found is osmand but sometimes it just doesn't work, it will just spend ages loading without ever finishing (I've let it load for at least 10 minutes) Also comaps/organic maps can only do short distances or it just crashes out saying there is no route available.

Does anyone have any good options or is osm still only have very primitive public transport offerings?

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[–] schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Navigating on public transport inherently requires full data on public transport timetables.

Public transport timetables are out of scope of OSM, there is no good way to enter them, they raise copyright concerns, they would quickly be outdated. So OSM is just the wrong tool for the job…

I use an app called "Öffi" https://f-droid.org/packages/de.schildbach.oeffi for calculating routes on public transport. It queries the open APIs of public transport networks. I don't know whether it supports the one you need, but e.g. in Germany and Austria it is very usable.

[–] balsoft@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Public transport timetables are out of scope of OSM, there is no good way to enter them, they raise copyright concerns, they would quickly be outdated. So OSM is just the wrong tool for the job…

This is not true. See https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/GTFS#Tags

[–] schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 3 weeks ago

What you linked to describes how to enter identifiers that can help integrate OSM with public transport timetables. It's true that OSM can have such identifiers; but not the full timetables themselves, those still need to be stored somewhere else.

[–] InsertUser@en.osm.town 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

@balsoft
That describes her w to link to a timetable, not how to include the timetable within OSM.

@schnurrito @openstreetmap

[–] balsoft@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 weeks ago

The effect is similar. It allows OSM-based software to easily pull in timetables from operators.

[–] pineapple@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 weeks ago

Uuhg this app looked to promising!

[–] balsoft@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I use https://f-droid.org/packages/xyz.apiote.bimba.czwek . It uses GTFS data from transit operators and is pretty good

[–] pineapple@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

No australia ):

[–] balsoft@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It uses transitous, which seems to have GTFS sources for Australia: https://transitous.org/sources/

[–] pineapple@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Dude! your amazing!

This is exactly what I was looking for! I tested it out with a transport route that goes near my place and I'll admit the transport was about 50m ahead of where it said it was on the map but aside from that frickin awesome!

Also bimba actually provides a tutorial to add gtfs data from other places to the map so I might do that if I get around to it. Since it does still seam to be the most usable mobile app.

[–] balsoft@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 weeks ago

I did none of this, it's the devs of transitous/bimba who are the amazing ones :)

But I'm glad I could help you find it!

[–] ace_garp@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Transportr is solid when I have tried it.

https://f-droid.org/packages/de.grobox.liberario/

[–] pineapple@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

No australia tho ):

[–] ace_garp@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Dead set, it was working in oz for me last year.

I just tried it, looks like Australian routing has been removed, not sure of the reason.

[–] pineapple@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago

It looks like australia removed the api for scheduling, which really sucks. I guess I just have no choice but to use the official app, which uses google, yuck.

[–] Tungmar@troet.cafe 2 points 3 weeks ago

@ace_garp @pineapple
Looks like #Transportr works very smooth. I will try it in real world. #coMaps and #OsmAnd on the other hand seam to not support public transport routing in #Switzerland at all.

[–] FriendOfDeSoto@startrek.website 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

This depends on which area you want to navigate in, how well OSM is maintained there, and on the interface situation between the providers of public transport and the open internet. I think the latter is the biggest problem. Is the transport data available and available in a stable format that OSM can tap into? And the answer is most likely no. The Googles and the Apples have teams that take care of their maps offering and that work through the patchwork of APIs and formats to come up with not totally bad solutions to this mess. Unpaid volunteers will have a harder time getting to the same level. So OSM is not the way to go here - most likely. I'm sure islands of great data exist.

[–] pineapple@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

What would suggest/what do you use? I live in australia btw.

[–] FriendOfDeSoto@startrek.website 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Sorry, can't help you there because I don't have a clue. I'm in Japan and landed on the Yahoo Japan app because in my experience they do better than the G's and A's here locally.

[–] pineapple@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I actually happen to be interested in japan as well!

What do you use there?

[–] FriendOfDeSoto@startrek.website 2 points 3 weeks ago

Yahoo Japan is a separate entity from the US juggernaut of ancient times. They run a transportation app called Yahoo!乗換案内 or roughly Yahoo Transfer Information. I live here so I can read enough Japanese to get by. But there is no English version.

There used to be a non-Google English competitor that faded away a few years back. The network is quite dense here in the big cities and disruptions happen. So you'll need something that alerts you to problems along the route. They stopped being tied into whatever API that requires. And it's been so long I forgot what they were called. I prefer the Yahoo one to Google Maps because their algorithm that finds best connections works better in my experience. But that's coupled with me knowing my way around Tokyo okay as well. YMMV.