@sgbusunclebotFree
Public transport bots in Telegram answer the question you have at the stop: when the next bus or train arrives and how to get where you are going. Each one works with a single city or network, so check that yours is covered before you rely on it.
| # | Bot | Price | Languages | Inline | Groups | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @sgbusunclebot | Free | EN | no | no | 79 |
| 2 | @ilbusbot | Free | EN | no | no | 71 |
We did not ride with these bots or start them by hand. For each candidate we opened its t.me page to confirm it is live, then checked who stands behind it: Bus Uncle's own site, busuncle.sg, links to @sgbusunclebot, and the code of Israel Bus Info Bot is public on GitHub, where we read its interface texts and help. What each bot covers, how it is paid for and where it stops working come from those sources. A worldwide route finder with no maker or website to check it against was left out.
Transit bots come in two kinds. Some use live data and tell you when the next vehicle will actually reach your stop; others repeat the published timetable, which works for trains that run to the minute and much less for buses stuck in traffic. Both bots on this page show live arrivals. Bus Uncle (@sgbusunclebot) builds its answers on Singapore's LTA bus timing data, adds how full each bus is and whether a double-decker is coming, and plans trips that mix buses, the MRT and walking. Israel Bus Info Bot (@ilbusbot) covers buses, trains and light rail across Israel and keeps updating the same message every few seconds for 15 minutes, so you can watch the countdown without asking again.
Every transit bot we have verified covers a single network: Bus Uncle has nothing to offer outside Singapore, and Israel Bus Info Bot works only in Israel. If you live elsewhere, look for a bot built on your city's own transit data and test it on a trip you already know; its times should match the stop display or the operator's app. Both bots here are free, but they are run differently. Bus Uncle, on Telegram since December 2017 with about 17,000 monthly users, is paid for by sponsored messages inside the chat. Israel Bus Info Bot is an open-source hobby project by one developer, with no ads and no account.
The quickest way to use a transit bot is to keep the stops you use every day. Israel Bus Info Bot saves them under /my_stops; with Bus Uncle you can send the stop number or simply share your location when you get there. Ask before you set off if the signal is weak: a short text reply gets through where a map app may not load.
It depends on the bot. Both bots on this page show live arrivals: Bus Uncle (@sgbusunclebot) in Singapore and Israel Bus Info Bot (@ilbusbot) in Israel. Many other timetable bots only repeat the published schedule, so look for one that says it uses real-time data, and check delays and cancellations with the operator itself.
Only if it has data for your network: each bot on this page covers one place, Bus Uncle (@sgbusunclebot) Singapore and Israel Bus Info Bot (@ilbusbot) Israel. For another city, test any bot you find on a trip you already know and check that its times match the operator's own timetable.
It needs a connection to answer, but not much of one: a short text reply gets through where a map app will not load. Replies you have already received usually stay readable offline, so ask for the timetable before you lose signal.
