When Chris got this nifty little app across his desk, as part of our Aussie App Review series, he gave me a shout straight away. It was a Perth based transport app, called PerthTT or Perth Transport Timetables, it was very similar to what Chris had reviewed earlier with TripView Sydney. So lets hit it off.

Much like the TripView Sydney app, PerthTT displays all the timetable information for buses, train and ferries within TransPerth’s transport network. It contains the following features:

  • Searchable via keywords or Stop IDs
  • Data is downloaded on first launch and is stored locally, meaning no active network connection is needed
  • Updates can be downloaded over the air as needed, directly from within the app
  • Listing of departure and arrival times for all stops
  • Location aware – uses GPS to give you quick access to nearest stops
  • Allows you to save your favourite stops for quick, easy access

Upon first launching PerthTT, the app requests a download of about 12mb, this is basically the timetable data, it only needs to happen once and only needs to be re-downloaded when timetables change, which isn’t very often. The app is extremely simple – transport shouldn’t be hard, it has 4 main buttons, Nearby, Search, Favourites and Train Lines.

Lets break them down a little. Nearby of course uses the GPS in the phone to give you your surrounding stops, be they, train or bus stops and also gives you their distance from your position, a very handy feature. When tapping on these stops, it gives you the next time a bus or train will be there and then tapping on that time, will give you a list of times when buses or trains will be there through out the entire day. From this one screen, you can see where the nearest stop is and when a bus or train is going to be there. Very nifty indeed.

Train Lines is basically the same as the Nearby option but only list Train stations and does not use the GPS, other then for showing other stops on a map – more on that later, it gives you both the start and end station of each line and allows you to pick your route from there.

Next is Search, this is pretty much as it seems, search for a station, a street name, anything really. This function allowed me to, while on a train, find out what time a connecting bus was leaving, and also what the time of arrival was, at the particular stop I wanted to get off at.

Also included is a Favourites section, where you can save your favourite bus stop or train station. Handy if you frequent the same stations or stops.

A press and hold on stops and stations allows you to see where they are on a map, which in conjunction with the GPS, allows you to see where they are in relation to you. Another very handy feature. Pressing and holding other things also allows you to set alarms at stops and so on; very thoughtful indeed.

Screenshot Time:

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Conclusion:

Like all apps that serve a useful purpose and make life easier, this is no exception, it’s simple and it’s quick. Updates are a question I asked the developer about and they definitely do flow, not just bug features but new features are being looked at all the time. An update they are looking at the moment, is location proximity aware notifications, so users can be updated on their upcoming stops etc automatically; very cool indeed. Another area where the developer is looking at improving is the overall appearance of the app. Colour coding and an overall colour splash are looking at being included in future updates.

Overall, even though I don’t use public trasnport a whole heap, its certainly handy to have and is extremely useful, with the price tag being a measly $1.00, it’s an absolute steal. Support our local developers and buy Australian.

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