NexTB is an IOS-oriented React Native application designed to provide real-time updates on arrival times of trams, buses and trolleybuses in Bucharest. It is not just a tracking app, it provides comprehensive information including Vehicle ID, License Plate, Passenger Count , AC functionality status & an icon of the vehicle (based on vehicle type). This App aims to help residents catch their rides in comfort without suffering from poor air conditioning or overcrowded vehicles.

How it Works

The app

The React Native (RN) application fetches the list of markers from the GTFS data from TPBI's website and displays them on a map. Users can select any point on the map and the app fetches the arrival information of the vehicles passing through that station from the backend. There's also a feature to report malfunctioning AC systems in any vehicle.

NOTE: This app uses an unofficial STB API to determine arrival times. This API isn't shared publicly due to legal concerns. For learning more about this API, please get in touch with me via the contact form on my website, https://cristoi.ro or via email at [email protected].

The API follows a multi-step process to retrieve and process real-time transit data for a given station ID:

Retrieve Vehicle Data:

• The API receives a request with a station ID.
• It queries the mo-bi next arrivals endpoint to get a list of vehicles passing through that station.

Fetch GTFS Data:

• It extracts necessary details from the stops.txt file in the GTFS dataset.
• It retrieves shape data for all relevant transit lines using shapes.txt. The shape ID is determined by concatenating the line ID (e.g., 84) with the direction ID (0 or 1), resulting in values like 840 or 841.
• Note: GTFS files are continuously updated and available at GTFS TPBI.

Calculate Vehicle Positioning:

• The API queries a specialized mo-bi endpoint (BUS_DATA) to fetch real-time vehicle locations.
• For each vehicle on a given route, it calculates the Haversine distance along the designated shape path (instead of a straight-line distance).
• The vehicle’s number plate is used to correlate additional passenger data from another mo-bi API endpoint (DATASET).

Determine Vehicle Type:

• The API classifies vehicles using predefined mappings (tramTypeMap and imageMap).
• Additional data sources include:
  • tramvaie.csv for tram identification.
  • Internal datasets for bus and trolleybus classification.

Retrieve and Sort Arrival Times:

• The API fetches up to three arrival times for each line from the unofficial STB API.
• Finally, it sorts all data by arrival times and returns the response.

This workflow ensures accurate real-time transit information by integrating multiple data sources and API calls efficiently.

How to Run on your own

You can follow these steps to run this on your own:

Running the Backend

The backend is situated in the /Backend folder.

1. Create a .env file in the same folder as the API with following contents:

   APP_PORT=3000
   GTFS_SHAPES_FILE='shapes.txt' 
   GTFS_STOPS_FILE='stops.txt'
   STB_UNOFF_API_IP='127.0.0.1'  
   STB_UNOFF_API_PORT='5001'
   CORS_MOBI_BUS_DATA='https://maps.mo-bi.ro/api/busData' 
   CORS_MOBI_NEXT_ARRIVALS='https://maps.mo-bi.ro/api/nextArrivals/' 
   CORS_MOBI_DATASET='https://maps.mo-bi.ro/api/dataset'
   LINE_CHECK_COOLDOWN=120000
   MORE_THAN_SVTN_MINUTES_TEXT='m'
   NOACPATH='./noAC.json'
   

   Configuration Options

   APP_PORT=3000

   This is the port at which the app would be available on your local system.

   GTFS_SHAPES_FILE='shapes.txt' and GTFS_STOPS_FILE='stops.txt'

   These are the GTFS files, a common format for public transportation schedules and associated geographic information, from here.

   STB_UNOFF_API_IP='127.0.0.1' and STB_UNOFF_API_PORT='5001'

   This is the local IP and port where the unofficial STB API can be accessed.

   CORS_MOBI_BUS_DATA='https://maps.mo-bi.ro/api/busData', CORS_MOBI_NEXT_ARRIVALS='https://maps.mo-bi.ro/api/nextArrivals/', and CORS_MOBI_DATASET='https://maps.mo-bi.ro/api/dataset'

   These URLs are the APIs to fetch bus data, next arrival times and dataset respectively from maps.mo-bi.ro. Please remember to use an anti-cors service with these URLs to prevent any blocking due to CORS policy.

   LINE_CHECK_COOLDOWN=120000

   This configuration is used to periodically check whether busData endpoint has updated its data or not. The app only allows buses which location has been updated within this timeout period.

   MORE_THAN_SVTN_MINUTES_TEXT='m'

   Refrain from changing this unless required.

   NOACPATH='./noAC.json'

   This is the path to the JSON file which stores the IDs of buses and trams that don't have functioning AC units.

2. Install all the dependencies by running npm i

3. Run the app:

   node backend.js

Running the React Native App

1. Install the required dependecies by running npm i

2. Modify the API_LINK (found in /app/(tabs)/expore.tsx and /app/(tabs)/index.tsx) to your backend server's IP and port. ⚠️ Note: You can use http links, but I would recommend using HTTPS for secure connections.

3. Run the app using expo:

   npx expo run:ios

Contributions

• If you can provide images (illustrations) for Irisbus Citelis, V3A-2S-93, and the basic white V3A-93, let's talk!
• Help needed to add vehicle types for STCM, STV, and other agencies that operate near Bucharest under TPBI. Currently, only STB is added.
• Also looking to add functionalities to the IOS React Native app like:
  • Lines Tab – A real-time vehicle tracking feature, similar to the Radcom App (InfoTB, CTbus, TUSM, OTL Oradea, etc.).
  • Improved Faulty AC Reporting – A smarter voting-based system for adding/removing vehicles from the faulty AC list. If fewer than five users report an issue, the AC status will be marked as "May Not Work."
  • Vehicle Details Page – A dedicated section for each vehicle displaying key details such as mileage, VIN, real photos, and user-submitted comments. (Possible to make right now with info from metrouusor.com)
  • User Authentication – A system allowing verified users to contribute images, comments, and other relevant vehicle information.

Credits

• metrouusor.com for public lists of vehicle types by ID.
• tpbi and mo-bi for their public APIs.
• Alexandru Mihai Nenciu, for the Bucharest Logo.

LICENSE

Please see the LICESNE file