The 3 Best Transit Apps For TTC Riders

Users the Toronto’s public transit system, know the value of a third-party app that can help you navigate the system. Most transit apps allow you to check local bus or subway arrival times and plan routes within the city. Although the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) admittedly provides these services too, their options are much clunkier. You can only check the time that a bus arrives by texting a particular code to 898882 (TXTTTC) and must use its website to plan routes. Third-party apps make both processes significantly smoother.

Of course, not all apps are created equally. Many have specific features that are well suited to particular commute styles. As a result, we highly recommend that you download the app that best aligns with your TTC usage.?

Citymapper: the best TTC app for travellers

Citymapper allows users to navigate across a wide variety of cities, including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, New York City, and Boston. This makes it ideal for those who travel —?after all, it is less intimidating to use a program that you are already familiar with.

That being said, Citymapper does not specialize in TTC routes. When users request a route, they are shown a variety of transportation options, including public transit, rideshare services, walking, driving, and more. Similarly, although the app provides a variety of public transit routes, some may involve non-TTC transit options. For example, when I asked the app to take me from Keele and Lawrence to the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) grounds (or, more specifically, the Exhibition press building), one of the recommended routes suggested that I take the UP Express for part of the journey. If I was not already aware that UP and TTC were separate transit entities (with separate entry fees), this could have led to an unpleasant financial surprise.?

Citymapper currently has a 4.8 star rating on Google Play. Similarly, it has a 4.9 star rating on the App Store.

Transit: the best TTC app for cyclist

The Transit app makes it easy to check vehicle arrival times and plan trip routes. It also includes a map of Bike Share locations and allows users to select whether or not they would like Bike Share routes (or private bike usage) to be factored into transit route calculations.?

When I entered the same sample trip as above (Keele and Lawrence to the CNE) into Transit, I was provided with nearly the same routes. However, the route timeframes slightly differed. Additionally, Transit did not differentiate between how long it would take to ride the standard 29 Dufferin bus versus the Express 929 bus, making its timeframe estimates less accurate. Still, its routes were reasonable — just be sure to give yourself a buffer when calculating your estimated arrival time.

Transit currently has a 4.5 star rating on Google Play and the App Store.

Triplinx: the best TTC app for GTHA residents

Triplinx covers transit options across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), making it ideal for commuters who live outside of the TTC’s range. However, the app’s biggest perk is the amount of route customization options offered. When requesting a route, users can set their preferred transit services, connection options (e.g. car, bike, or just transit), and walking speed. This can be extremely helpful for those who wish to avoid relatively expensive transit providers. Users with mobility concerns can also request accessible routes.

When I entered the same sample trip into Triplinx, I received extremely similar routes —?and the fastest estimated time so far (by one minute). I did not specify that I only wanted to take the TTC, so I was offered a couple of routes that involved GO Transit and the UP Express. Triplinx also displayed each route’s total adult Presto fare. Note that the TTC charges adult Presto cards and credit cards the same amount of money per ride, so it is slightly more cost-effective to pay your TTC fare via credit card and earn rewards.

Triplinx currently has a 4 star rating on Google Play. The app also has a 4.6 star rating on the App Store.

This article is the shortened version of an article originally published on Hardbacon.ca by Athanasia Demetra N. under the title "The 6 Best Transit Apps For TTC Riders".