myStop® Main Screen
When you open the myStop® website, the screen will display a menu on the left side which includes Routes, Stops, Trip Planner, Set Alert, and Public Service Messages. The rest of the screen displays a detailed map of the service area:
Smart Search: If you know the stop name or its ID, you can easily find out when service is departing there. Just type in the Smart Search field to locate it on the map. You'll see which vehicles are servicing the stop, the depart times, and the final destination for the bus.
Using the Routes Menu
Use the menu on the left side of the screen to select the route/s you need. Each route has a name, number, and a specific color. When a route is selected, the trace for the route will appear on the map, along with its stop locations, and the current location of any buses on that route.
Below, we plan to use 2 routes to get to the destination (Atherton Street Connector and the College Ave Connector). Color coding is useful to see the different route traces, where to transfer, and more!
Where's the Bus?
| Bus Bubble: Look for these icons on the map. They represent the locations of vehicles in real-time and these are also color-coded to match the route they service! |
The Bus Bubble on the map may also show the > or < sign to indicate the vehicle's direction of travel. Clicking on any bus bubble will open vehicle information for that bus. Clicking on the route’s drop-down in the Menu will also show the number of the bus on that route. Selecting a bus number/ID will center the map on that bus and display its vehicle information in a popup.
The vehicle popup can show the following information:
- Bus Number & Route - When you click on the bus icon, a menu displays with the following information. In the example above, vehicle # 59 is servicing the Blue Loop, which is labeled as BL.
- Status - The status can be On Time or Late.
- Last Stop - This is the name of the last stop serviced. In the example, it was Curtin Rd at Shields Building.
- Destination - The destination is the last stop for the route. In this example, the destination is Blue Loop.
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Direction - The direction specifies the direction of the current trip. In this example, the direction is a loop-L.
- Possible directions: Inbound I, Outbound O, Loop L, Northbound N, Southbound S, Eastbound E, Westbound W, clockwise CW, counterclockwise, CCW, etc.
- On Board Count - If displayed, this may vary by agency. It provides a value for how full/empty the bus is.
- Last Updated - The last time this vehicle's information was updated.
Stops Information
If you have already selected a route from the menu, you'll see stop locations for that route on the map. Simply click on one on the map to review the vehicles servicing that stop and their depart times.
You'll see the vehicle servicing the route and their scheduled depart times.
SDT vs EDT: What do the acronyms SDT and EDT mean?
These represent the Scheduled Depart Time and Estimated Depart Time. Avail recommends using the EDT for your travel plans, as this is live information pulled directly from the vehicle. It's based on road conditions, as those vary from day to day. Vehicles strive to service all stops on time, yet must meet the challenges of real-time events, such as traffic jams, weather conditions, road obstructions, and more.
After you select a route, you can also open and use the Stops menu. It will display all the stops scheduled for service on the route.
Where's My Stop?
Use the built-in Smart Search to locate the stop you need.
Find your stop by name or its stop ID.
Selecting a specific stop from the list will also highlight that location on the map. Stop locations are indicated by grey circles and blue clocks on the map.
Using Trip Planner
You can plan out your trips using Trip Planner. Trip Planner uses the Google Maps interface, so you'll get detailed directions for your trip. The software will match your needs to the closest service, and provide you with everything you need: stop departure times, vehicle ID, any transfer if required, and walking time, some agencies provide cost information, and you'll see travel time.
Open the Trip Planner Menu:
Enter your starting location, your destination, if you plan to arrive or depart, the timeframe needed, and the date. Then press the Plan Trip button.
You'll see a popup message that informs you that your trip planning details have opened in another browser.
Open the second browser tab to view your travel details.
You'll see built-in service notifications in the information link. These are important service updates. Click on these, to review all details.
Using Street View
| What is it? Street View is a first-person perspective to give you more contextual details for the selected map area. |
Where is it? Click the Pegman icon near the bottom right of the map screen.
When you drag the Pegman over the map, you'll see an outline of the roads/street-level information:
Are you new to town? Would you like more visual details around the area for reference? Street View is a great way to see details on the map. Simply drag the Pegman to the location you want to view.
Use the back arrow to return to the map view.
You can press the location marker to see the specific latitude and longitude for the location on the map.
Marker location details.
Set Alerts for Stop Departures
You can easily set up alerts for the stops you use. When you use this feature, the software will notify you of departure times for stops you need.
There are two options: Recurring Alert and One-time Alert
Create an account for recurring alerts. This is recommended because you can customize your private account for all your travel plans, set up your notifications, set quiet times, and much, much more. Click here to learn about creating an account on the myStop® website. If you're a cell phone user, when you have an account, you're just carrying your travel software right in your pocket, ready to go whenever needed!
Or use the One-time Alert. When you set up a one-time alert, you'll need to enter a valid email.
The above screenshot illustrates what information is needed to set up a one-time alert. Use the dropdown menus to select the route, direction, needed stop, departure timeframe, and a set of minutes for when you want to be notified, before the bus arrives, for planning purposes. You'll be notified in your email.
If you press the Recurring Alert button, the software will prompt you to create an account. You'll see a popup.
Give it a try! Create your own account. Press Sign Up Now to get started. Want more information about creating an account? Press here to learn more.
Public Service Messages
When agencies post public messages, they are displayed here in the myStop® menu on the left. In the example below, we know there are two messages because we see a '2'. Review these, as they alert you about any changes in service that may affect your travel plans. Public messages can be anything from "Thanks for riding" to "Happy Holidays", detour notices, temporarily moved stops, skipped stops (this means the stop is not in service at this time), service cancellations, and more.
What else can you do on the myStop® website?
Website Page Options:
The Full Screen button, located at the top left of the page, allows you to expand/collapse the menus on the left. When you select this button, the menus collapse. Click it again to bring the menu back into view.
Your feedback is very important to the agency service you're using.
The Feedback button, also located at the top left of the page, allows you to send feedback to the agency. Include your name, email address, and comments, and then click send it. The agency will receive your feedback via an agency email account.
The Bookmark button allows you to add the myStop® website to your favorites.
The Map Layers filter allows you to pick what details you want to show or hide on the map: Busses, Route Traces, and Stops. If you adjust these, click the Apply Filter button to update your map view.
Published vs All Stops display on the map.
You can toggle between views for the map display by using the built-in Map and Satellite buttons. These are located near the top left of the screen.
Sort the Stops Column numerically. Simply click on the top stop# to resort. This can assist in finding your stop too.