ProximiT: MBTA Boston Transit Reviews

by Kitkat9485143

ProximiT is not good! It is laid out terribly making it really confusing and inefficient to use. It doesn’t allow you to just type in where you want to go and give you train directions- it kept taking me off ProximiT and giving me walking directions there. I don’t understand the point of ProximiT. It doesn’t calculate your route for you which is super annoying. If it does and I just don’t know how to do it then that says something in itself because ProximiT should not be this complicated.

by Aek22

When buses are running frequently and the weather is good and the traffic isn’t bad, ProximiT works fine enough for main bus routes, though I imagine that’s more a function of the probability of it being accurate give a higher density of buses. However, if it isn’t rush hour, ProximiT is near useless for buses. I have spent 40 minutes at a bus stop that was perpetually 2-3 minutes away according to this app’s predictions. Also, unlike the Nextbus app, which is unfortunately no longer supported for Boston transportation, this app does not show you where the buses are on the map, so it’s impossible to make your own best guess. In short, the bus arrival time estimates are wildly unreliable and ProximiT is only marginally useful.

by MBP008

They need to do a better job during the busy times and when buses run back to back of taking the ones that are passing you by off the list. Also, there have been several times when ProximiT has refreshed itself to “1 min” for buses that show up 10-15 minutes later, which then might also just drive by. On the weekends, buses tend to show up 1-2 minutes early and leave early as well, so be mindful of that. Otherwise, still the best app for Boston MBTA buses that I’ve found... open to trying new ones!

by Thenewcolossus

Upgraded to a new phone and my old transit app (Catch the Bus) has been discontinued so I gave this one a try. Two big things that I need in order to rank this higher:
-You can’t reorder your favorites; they show up in the order you added them, and that’s final. So I have to scroll through a long list searching for various favorites stops. I want to put all #1 bus stops together, then all #67, etc.
-Would love to be able to rename my favorite stops. The MBTA names them by the final destination, but my old app let me name my favorites whatever I wanted (e.g. #77: home to best friend’s house)

I certainly won’t be paying for premium ad removal for now. Will keep searching 😕

by USAIRECOL

App is usually right, but there are a few features that would make it even more helpful. 1) show when the bus/train you’re on is expected to arrive at any particular stop. 2) add a feature which allows passengers to report when a bus fails to show up on time, particularly when the bus doesn’t leave he first stop of the route on time 3) add a trip planning feature

by 1 Boston Commuter

ProximiT is easy to use & allows me to track my favorite or most used modes of transportation. Frustration is the schedule is not always in real time. For example ProximiT has not helped me consistently figure out the Weekend or holiday schedule. Our busses, rails & trains run slower on the weekends & on holidays the trains run on the weekend schedule.

by 3GGN3RD

This is a great app, in terms of accuracy it’s spot on around 80% of the time, there’s times where it would show when a bus or train would arrive and end up being wrong but it’s a rare occasion. I live 40 minutes away from my school and have to take a bus and two trains (which are all operated by the MBTA of course) and it helps me arrive faster. Would recommend to people who often use MBTA services and even people who are visiting Boston.

by Bamboo3

Simply...Best MBTA app on any platform! (@ 5 stars) Update: ProximiT has been very inaccurate for the past month. From 10 minutes before bus arrives turns suddenly to 3 minutes. If I am unlucky, it will be back to 28 minutes. No bus arrived nor passed by. ProximiT is not dependable. It used to be. Bus 95 to West Medford in Sullivan does not have any bus info anymore. Please fix or at least get to the bottom of the issue. Thanks.

by Tealfilmguru

I stuck with this one because it seems to be the most accurate as compared to others. Wish I had the opportunity to note every time a bus didn’t show that was listed as “Boarding” though... how would that affect the actual times in ProximiT ? Just a thought!

by MKQMA

I have found that the timing of different stops works differently. I take the red line and know that if ProximiT tells me I have 5 minutes until the next Braintree train at South Station, it is really more like 7 minutes. But if it says 5 minutes at North Quincy it is really 3. I’m not sure what the trigger is for each of these stops but as long as you know the real timing, ProximiT is accurate.

by Artie-8

I would like to say I have very poor vision I think it would be very nice if they have a way to tell me where I am and what buses are right near where I am at the time I think it would be extremely helpful least to me A lot of times I cannot read the signs where I am and lotta times I don’t have the numbers on a pole that I can see beyond that I think you guys have come up with the best service with the transit system that I’ve seen in a long time I would love to hear from you guys thank you

by Whydoyoumakemeputinanickname.

Very convenient, easy to use. I really like the screen where you have the stations you frequently use. Makes it easy to know when your train is coming, next time for a connecting train etc. Good alerts on outages. I use this every day.

by Menotoman

ProximiT has always been spot on for time accuracy on all of the 4+ a day times I’ve used it during the past 2 years, or so. I know when to hurry and when I can take my time which is Great!

by Mbta Rider 2018

This is a good app, which is compatible with the most recent iOS. I can see the dash board of favorites at a glance. Though I wish it allows rearranging the order of the favorite stops. Once in a while, it could lose all signals, but overall it’s pretty reliable.

by Rhealeyyy

Today, we took my son Ryan to the bus city of Boston, to ride the one and only MBTA. He doesn’t leave our house much because he is afraid of the outside, but he felt right at home in the cushioned and plush seats of the Green line. We rode every part of the line - the B line! The C line! The D line! And even the E line! This has transformed Ryan into the man he is today!

by Seanhussey

Fantastic app! It lets me set up my favorite bus lines and show them as a list sorted by geographically closest to me at the time. And this is the first screen when you launch ProximiT , which I need to stress the importance of. When I need to know when a bus is coming, I don’t want to fiddle with different buttons and screens. The info is right where I need it when I need it.

by Caitlinnicole128

I have used this map since I moved into the area two years ago. I often do not leave my house or office in the cold until I know a bus/train is coming (or red line post-derailment) ProximiT is a lifesaver and for my bus line and the red line it is extremely accurate and user friendly! Someone recommended this to me my first week in Boston and it made quite the difference.

by Matt2693

I’m going to school in Boston and I rely on the bus to get into the city. I didn’t have a ton of public transport experience before going to school, but ProximiT makes it easy! Tells me exactly (within a minute or two) when and where my buses are going to be. ProximiT is awesome and I so appreciate the team who built it!

by La_Rêverie💤

Thank you for ProximiT! It makes commuting and get around planning much easier. I rely on ProximiT heavily and without it , I would feel like I did back in 2007 waiting helplessly for a heavily delayed bus that is probably never going to come :). It’s like having a set of x Ray vision glasses for transit. So thank you!

Can you fix the C line destination to read North Station instead of Lechmere? Times often don’t show up for this route and I think it’s because it’s keyed in incorrectly.

Thank you for fixing the 66 bus to note Harvard the direction not Brookline.

My 5 year old has learned to read schedules thanks fo ProximiT by the way. He likes to tell everybody when all the buses are coming.

Thanks again!

by Mountain_hobbit

Most of the time ProximiT has worked really well, but lately not so much. Today I left the house 7 minutes before the bus was supposed to arrive (a 3 minute walk), and I get to the bus stop and ProximiT says it passed! I rely on ProximiT to get me to work on time. Really disappointed recently, please check for bugs!!!

by R_sudzy

Every time my morning commute gets screwed up because of ProximiT, I think about writing one of these reviews and deleting this piece of garbage app. Today was the last straw. I’m currently typing this after waiting 30 minutes in the cold for a bus that was supposed to be 3 minutes away and is STILL displayed as 3 minutes away. This happens at least twice a week, every week. Going to uninstall this piece of garbage and try a different T tracker.

by MShim

this app is very helpful in planning my travels with the MBTA. I live near several T lines, so it helps me decide where to go to start a trip. It’s also improved its reporting as the T improved its data. I only wish they would provide info near the end of a line when a trip hasn’t yet started. (Of course, that assumes the T has — & follows —a schedule!)

by H.C. Holm

Finally! An app that understands that, as a commuter, you already know what stops and routes you’ll use. Having a main screen that shows the four stops I use the most and the next train at each is exactly what I need. Great job on this!

by BillyJaxon

I’ve tried various MBTA bus trackers over the years. I’ve abandoned each, mostly because they’re slow and/or cumbersome. This one is quite good, though. I commend the design. Had it customized to my points of interest in seconds, and the user experience is simple and transparent.

by Forgetineer

this app is one of my favorite public transit apps. It only does one thing (well, two if you count the delay notifications) and does it really really well. The countdown display to board keeps saving me from missing the train by a few seconds!