Routesy Reviews

by RitzTheCat

I previously left a negative review because I couldn’t remove ads even though I’d previously paid for this app Pro. And it appeared as though the developer had moved to a subscription model. The first problem was just a bug, which the developer has since fixed. And I was just wrong about the subscription thing. So, I’m updating my review to reflect this.

Edit: Also, to clarify since I’d previously complained about subscription models, I really don’t expect perpetual updates to Routesy for no additional charge. I’d be happy to pay again for major updates. I’m mostly against being locked in to recurring monthly payments, which is what I *thought* was happening, but I was wrong.

by LMK SF

Routesy is good if you are going to check it once and then go to your muni stop. It’s not great if you are going to try to check Routesy more than once. The first time the times will load, but if you go to update it, I find that it idles on the loading screen and I do not receive an update. It’s incredibly frustrating. I will then go and close out of Routesy to see if it will restart. Same issue.

As for timing, it’s relatively accurate, but I’ve definitely needed to sprint to the muni or missed it a couple of times.

by Anonymous717

Routesy has almost as many issues as muni and BART do.

Every single day I use Routesy there is a “phantom bus” situation, where either Routesy says there is a bus coming with a decreasing arrival time, until all of a sudden the eta resets after reaching “arriving now”, or Routesy doesn’t show a bus and then a bus comes.

The user interface has stated the exact same for years, and clearly has not been developed further or had any improvements. The “favoriting” option is limiting and makes you stick to one stop. You have to search for bus lines manually vs. nearby buses and stops automatically appearing...

by Dude0u812

Update: price to remove ads has DOUBLED to $10!! Jeez. Routesy has potential, but the developer just priced himself out of a sale. I'll stick to the $2 pocketmuni and free versions of others.

I like the graphics and it has some clear advantages over my favorite "Pocket MUNI," however the bookmarks are not sortable (can only delete) and removing the advertising costs $5.00 (Pocket MUNI is only a buck). Nice to also get BART integrated and maybe with enough GUI tweaks I'd consider shelling out that kind of money (you also get Caltrain by removing ads), but for now I'll mostly be relying on PM unless Routesy also drops to a buck or two.

by Janolska

I've been using this app for almost 10 years. I've really appreciated it especially during the corona pandemic for Oakland. Even before San Francisco bus stops regularly have had issues with display times, for a myriad of reasons. Is it one disappointment, has been with BART. Their website allows a full view is trains and graphical interface to quickly select between trains and stops. Coming home from work, I usually try to find the bus that will leave quickest. To make that transit, I might have to get off at West Oakland, 12th St. or Lake Merritt. Allowing me to see stops ahead and before and/or having a visual cue of where the trains are allows me to determine what is going to be the best option because I have to pick a train going North or South. Same for getting to work, it might be better to get off at the Civic Center or 16th St. in San Francisco. With your app I'm trying grow quickly fidget between destination in place in through all the names there's no search there's no graphical thing that I can just push a button. So that would be really convenient. Finally, I appreciate that you have kept Routesy free for all these years using unobtrusive advertising.I work in the education and nonprofit sector and I've always struggled with directions and easily getting lost, having all of the transit center is in one app though has been awesome

by Bob99999

Routesy itself is nice. However it’s data for Muni is not reliable. The data for predictive times may not be within the control of Routesy developer, but if you can find ways to get Muni to provide reliable data, then using Routesy would be excellent.

Update: I received a reply from the developer who found my review to be negative and written out of frustration. And he thinks it hurts his app to have this kind of review. I think my review is fair to caution users about the data. Routesy description describes it will help users with real time predictions to get to places on time. If the data can be unreliable due to the source, do not overstate the capability of Routesy .

2nd Update. I upgraded my rating to respond that Routesy is very useful. It’s convenient to have it available.
However, Muni and it’s data can be unreliable. For example, a few times I have seen a prediction of 5 minutes for one line, get updated 2 or 3 times, then completely not show up and it would then show 20 minutes for the next one. This is the fault of the Muni data so my point is to highlight that the data (and Muni) can be unpredictable some times. In these cases, I’d rather hop an Uber or Lyft instead of be delayed further. Overall Routesy is useful but the system itself is not predictable.

by Drcsawesome

I’ve had Routesy since back I the day when the iPhone 3G came out in like 2008 when no one else was doing it. I’m glad they stuck around because it’s gotten so finely tuned that I’m not sure how much better it could even be! That said I love Routesy and make sure to let my friends and family as often as I can. Thanks y’all!!!

by Digsby14

Really liked the free version and wanted to support them... So I clicked through like any other app half paying attention while I was trying to catch a bus and didn’t realize it was not a purchase but a “subscription”. Now I am stuck trying to figure out how to cancel it before I get billed into perpetuity.

by Fotosynthesis333

Hi Steven, I love Routesy like I love my mother. Can’t live without it. I especially like the feature that allows me to monitor my trip and real-time routes and stops. I installed the BART app two days ago and have been playing around with it and happened upon your last comment regarding the crappy data from BART. I’m planning on giving BART some feedback on their new App and will echo your sentiments to them. I ride all forms of public transportation to get around and rely on this app heavily. In fact I was on Muni the other day and someone asked me for stop info and I busted out my this app app. That guy now has it on his phone too :). Wishing you luck on resolving the data issues with BART and hope they will continue to cooperate and share good data and access. I can’t live without this app so I’m gonna throw in my two cents to BART for you :)

by Capt. H. Hornblower

I plan my SF schedule with this app: I get to work on time with it, I see the previews before the movie at the theater because of it, I save big $$$ on parking bc I leave my dumb car at home and make the bus work for me, thanks to this app. (Also have you seen how nuts SF drivers are?!) It's a magical app that is thoughtfully designed and there for you when you need it. Thanks!!

by Amyn Sheriff

It picks up where nextbus left. It has a nicer interface and is more reliable than the other product. Would like to have some capability of receiving notifications based on couple of different options of bus routes. I know that's asking a lot from one person DEV team. Needless to say it's a great product and thank you for making it.

by Phongsta

Love Routesy. I have been using this this app Pro for about 10 years now and it’s never failed and pretty accurate. If it’s ever off, it’s just about half a minute to a minute. The developers do a great job of updates and fixes that I opted for the subscription model because ) they deserve it 2) nice perks like dark mode and other bells and whistles. Highly recommended.

by IngridLynn

We visit the Bay Area at least once a year and this app is extremely helpful in navigating the Muni and BART. Over the years it has become much more accurate. Without this app, getting around unfamiliar neighborhoods would be mean asking for a lot of directions.

My only complaint is that I couldn’t find anything for the E trolley.

by CVK_Reviews

My teenagers -- who use public transportation all the time -- turned me on to this awesome little app. It works like a charm and saves me so much time and stress. You can see when trains/buses are ACTUALLY arriving/departing, rather than relying on "schedules" that are so often wrong. Routesy is simple to navigate, fast, accurate. I use it in combo with Google maps to plan my trips and it's just awesome. Thank you!

by Dmdinsf

This is an edit to a previous negative review- Routesy has been an essential part of my everyday life for a couple of years and when it wasn't working it had a big impact. I tried a bunch of other apps, but none we as easy or functional as this.

The latest update fixed the problem and I'm up and running again. Big thanks for working quickly to resolve and for helping to make Bay area commutes smoother to navigate.

=======
I've used Routesy for ages and it's worked so well. Latest update, which I downloaded earlier this week, seems to have disabled the entire thing and Routesy now says "error loading predictions" for each route and no longer provides any data. Truly disappointing.

Prior to the crash I would have rated Routesy 4.5/5. I'd love very much for it to be restored.

by Chrisochoa1337

I grew up in SF and I take the bus every single day, so to say I use Routesy frequently is an understatement! I've used this app for years (and this is after trying a bunch of other apps). I happily pay for this app Pro because after it's done so much for me for free, it's the least I can do for this app (plus the Night Mode is hella nice). When I had a problem (which was ONCE in 4 YEARS of use), Steven reached out to me personally and found a solution within the hour. I love Routesy and Steven more than I love myself!

by Jay B Cee

Routesy is SUPERIOR to the “official” app that the SFMTA runs! I’ve shared Routesy with so many fellow commuters and tourists after hearing them complain about the NextBus predictions being wrong or seeing the bus stop wait times continually change even though “it said it was 1 minute away!”. I’ve especially relied on this app to time trips taken at night to ensure I don’t need to wait at sketchy stops for too long. THANK YOU so much for all the work you put into Routesy and the service it provides!

by Selam Hagos

Have been using routsey for the past year and I found it very helpful in navigating my way all over the bay. I even recommended it to my friends and people who uses public transportation. But recently I found out that the bus stop orders for AC transit is flipped. I think it’s now sorted out in alphabetical order which is a bit inconvenient when going to new places that I have never been to. It used to tell you where the next stop is and you can easily see where to get off but not recently. I hope it gets fixed soon.

by Teebibo

I’ve been using Routesy for the past 3 years and ongoing. Tried several apps but nothing could compare to R. Even the creator is so personal. You can see that they work hard for our ease of knowing the right schedule for the buses and trains. It is the data from the Bart and Muni that often change and break data without much informing. Hence, you need to constantly update Routesy . It shows how quick and attentive the team at R is. Thank you for the services!
I will keep supporting your company as well as spreading the words xoxo

by Moderniste

I messed around with some of the free apps, and I still had my ancient NextBus bookmarked on Safari...but this app is the best, hands down. The layout is extremely important in an app like this, when you’re needing to access the info, often with only seconds to make a decision about your travel. Yes, you do have to re-do your bookmarks with the now-frequent changes to transit lines in the COVID era. But it’s a simple and quick process—very intuitive.

this app makes some of the best use of the very distinctive iOS graphics style of any app I’ve seen. Very simple, elegant and USEFUL. The new redesign is a huge improvement to an already great design. Bravo, gals and guys in the this app team!!! 👏👏👏