Does Transit Work Offline?

Here's what this article covers:

Which Transit features work offline?

Many Transit features do work offline, allowing you to use the app even when you don't have access to wifi or data. Here's a breakdown of what changes once your phone goes offline:

Available Offline Not Available Offline
  • Schedules and Route Maps
    • See the map and schedule for any route by searching for it in the search bar.
  • Trip Planner
    • Only schedule-based transit, biking and walking options are available offline.
  • GO
    • Starting GO offline will generate information based on scheduled times.
    • GO will still send you notifications for when to get off the bus based on your GPS location.

How do I access schedules offline?

When you're connected, Transit automatically downloads the schedules in the background so that you can access them without internet access later on.

There are three ways you can access schedules offline:

#1. Transit shows your correct location and your stop is listed on the main screen:
  • Find your line in the list and select it.
  • Tap "More departures" to view the upcoming schedule for this line.
#2. Transit does not show your correct location (option 1):
  • Tap the search bar on the main screen.
  • Enter the name of the stop you're interested in.
  • Long press the result or tap the 3 dots.
  • Tap "Show nearby lines".
  • From here, you can view schedules as if you were at the stop (select the line, then tap "More departures").
#3. Transit does not show your correct location (option 2):
  • Tap the search bar on the main screen.
  • Enter the line name or number that you're interested in, and select it.
  • Swipe left/right to pick the direction you want to go in, then scroll down to your stop.
  • Tap "More departures" if you want to see more scheduled departures.

Why does Transit put me in the wrong location when I'm offline?

Your phone's access to the internet (via mobile data or wifi) can really help improve Transit's location accuracy. When offline, the app uses your phone's GPS, which varies in accuracy depending on each phone.

Without access to data or wifi, your location accuracy may decrease. The blue circle around your position on the map indicates the radius of accuracy. The larger the radius the less accurate is your location.

Did this answer your question? Thanks for the feedback There was a problem submitting your feedback. Please try again later.