Why is real-time bus arrival data so flaky at my stop?

[Kenneth.L]

I’ve been using my city’s new real-time passenger information screens at the bus stop, and honestly, I’m starting to doubt their accuracy. The predicted arrival times seem to jump around a lot, especially when a bus is supposed to be a couple minutes away, and I’ve watched it suddenly change to a ten-minute wait. Has anyone else noticed this inconsistency with the live tracking?

[EricLG]

I’ve noticed the real-time screen at my stop does that sometimes. A bus shows 3 minutes, then it jumps to 12, then back to 5. It feels like it’s chasing the feed and losing track.

[Mia26]

I timed it with my phone once: the bus pulled in while the display still listed 7 minutes.

[VioletA]

Is the issue with the screen data or with the traffic? I wonder if buses bunching makes the numbers lag behind.

[Ella18]

I stopped relying on the numbers and watched for the bus at the curb instead.