New Transport for Cornwall app real time information not real time after all
10 January 2025

The new Transport for Cornwall app purports to show live information for all buses operating in Cornwall, not just the Go Cornwall Bus fleet. A promotional email from Go Cornwall Bus says, "Here’s what you can expect from the all-in-one app:
Live Bus tracking: Know exactly where your bus is and when it will arrive.”

It is true that, if you look on the app at the page that shows “live times and buses” and pick a bus stop, it will show on the list of departures a listing of services due at the stop for both First and Go Cornwall Bus and for the first few arrivals it will show a supposed countdown timer showing how many minutes before the bus arrives. However, whilst the Go Cornwall Bus times seem to be a reasonable reflection of how long it will be until the bus’s arrival, it is clear that for First Bus vehicles, the timer is not based upon live information but is based on the timetable time and assumes that the bus will be on time. This will seriously mislead passengers who may think that the timer is a reasonable estimate of when the bus will arrive. In order to get a more accurate estimate of when the bus will arrive, anyone waiting for a First Bus is best advised to continue to use the First app which will be based on live information from the bus (subject to the usual caveats that the information is not always accurate).

I tried comparisons of bus times on a couple of services today (10 January), the T2 at Grampound heading towards St Austell, and the T3 at St Erme heading towards Newquay. Both of these buses were running late because of an A30 closure that had caused chaos to traffic between Camborne and Truro. The TfC app showed both buses supposedly on time whereas the First app correctly identified the late running.

In the case of the T2, it was due at Grampound at 12.00 but was about 35 minutes late and the First app showed at 12.24 an expected arrival time of 12 minutes from then. But the TfC app at the same time was showing an arrival time of 35 minutes which reflected the next timetabled service at 13.00 and had assumed that the 12.00 service had gone. The First app was correct; the TfC app completely wrong.

In the case of the T3, it was due at St Erme at 13.25 but was about 25 minutes late. The First app showed at 13.23 an expected arrival time of 26 minutes from then. But the TfC app at the same time was showing an arrival time of 2 minutes which was simply the timetable time.

Therefore, when the TfC app claims to show “exactly where your bus is and when it will arrive”, it is incorrect. It may be correct for Go Cornwall Bus vehicles but not for other operators.