How to Use the Transit App: Real-Time Public Transport for Travelers (2026)
If you mostly get around by public transport, the Transit app is the one many city-dwellers swear by. Instead of burying departures inside a maps product, it opens straight to the lines leaving around you right now, ranked by walk time and updated in real time. It's a sharper tool for transit than Google Maps — at least in the cities it covers well.
Here's what Transit is, how to use it, and where it shines.
What is the Transit app?
Transit is a public-transport navigation app built around live departures. Open it and you see nearby buses, trains, and metros — color-coded, sorted by how soon you can catch them, with crowdsourced real-time vehicle positions. Tap a destination and it gives clean, step-by-step directions with GO, a live navigation mode that tells you when to get off.
For travelers, the appeal is speed and clarity: the next departures, without digging.
How to use Transit
- Download the app and allow location access — no account needed.
- Open it where you are — Transit lists the lines departing nearby, soonest first.
- Search your destination for step-by-step transit directions.
- Start GO for live, turn-by-turn guidance that nudges you when your stop is coming.
- Buy a ticket in-app where your city supports it, or use a contactless card or local pass.
Where Transit works best
As of 2026, Transit is strongest in North America, with deep real-time data:
- US: New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and many more.
- Canada: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver.
- Global: hundreds of cities across Europe and beyond, though accuracy is best in its core North American markets.
Check your city before you rely on it
Real-time quality varies by city. Where Transit's data is thin, fall back to Google Maps or the local transit app — confirm coverage for your destination first.
Transit vs Google Maps
Both plan transit trips, but they're built for different jobs:
- Transit → opens to live nearby departures, beautiful at-a-glance design, best for pure transit in supported cities.
- Google Maps → all-purpose driving, walking, places, and transit, with the widest global coverage.
Many travelers use Transit where it's strong and Google Maps everywhere else.
Arrived launches soon. Get the right transport setup the moment you land.
Join the waitlistThe bottom line for travelers
Transit is the public-transport app for travelers who'd rather take the bus or train than book a car: instant live departures, clear navigation, and in-app tickets in many cities. It's at its best across North America.
Of course, the smartest route isn't always the obvious one — sometimes a walk, a bike, or a single ride beats three transfers. Figuring out the best way to move, city by city, is exactly what Arrived is built to work out for you on arrival.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Transit app?
- Transit is a public-transport app focused on doing one thing brilliantly: showing nearby departures in real time and guiding you step by step on buses, trains, metros, and bikes. It opens straight to the lines departing around you, color-coded and ranked by walk time, and is especially popular in North America for its accuracy and clean design.
- Where does the Transit app work best?
- Transit is strongest across North America — New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, and many more — where it has deep real-time data. It also covers hundreds of cities worldwide across Europe and beyond, though coverage and real-time accuracy are best in its core North American markets. Always check your city is supported before relying on it.
- Is the Transit app better than Google Maps for public transport?
- For pure transit, many riders prefer Transit: it opens to live nearby departures, shows crowdsourced real-time vehicle positions, and has a clearer at-a-glance design. Google Maps is more all-purpose — driving, walking, places, and transit in one — and covers more cities globally. A lot of travelers use Transit where it's strong and Google Maps everywhere else.
- Is the Transit app free?
- Yes, Transit is free to download and use for routing and real-time departures. It offers an optional paid 'Royale' subscription that removes ads and adds extras, but the core features travelers need — nearby departures, trip planning, and step-by-step navigation — are free. Some cities also let you buy transit tickets directly in the app.
- Can I buy tickets in the Transit app?
- In some cities, yes — Transit integrates mobile ticketing and fare payment for select transit agencies, so you can buy and show a fare from the app. This varies by city, so check whether your destination supports in-app tickets; where it doesn't, you'll use the local transit app, a contactless card, or a paper ticket.
- Does the Transit app work offline?
- Transit needs a data connection for live, real-time departures, since that's its core strength. You can view schedules and plan some trips with limited connectivity, but for the accurate real-time predictions that make the app worth using, you'll want mobile data or Wi-Fi. Set up an eSIM or roaming before you rely on it abroad.
- Do I need an account to use Transit?
- No account is required to plan trips and see departures — you can open the app and use it immediately. Creating a free account lets you save favorite places and sync settings across devices, but it's optional. Just allow location access so the app can show the stops and lines nearest you.