TXTBUS service
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Find out the next buses to arrive at your Sydney Buses stop in real
time.
Text 0488 TXT BUS (0488 898 287) with your bus stop number.
If you have a smartphone, you can download an app for real time bus information.
How?
Just SMS your bus stop number to 0488 TXT BUS (0488
898 287).
If a lot of routes use your bus stop, you can limit the information you get by leaving a space after the bus stop number and typing your route number(s) with a space between each one. This way you only get information about the service(s) you want.
Do not include any additional spaces or characters in your message.
How do I find my bus stop number?
All bus stops are numbered and there are two ways to find the number:
1. At the bus stop
The bus stop number can be found on all bus stops serviced by Sydney Buses.
2. At the Timetable section of this website
Route number search
• Enter your route number
• Select direction of travel from the bus route timetable
options page
• On the bus route timetable details page, select the
route number at the top of a bus trip for a complete list of stops and
stop numbers along your route
Street/stop search
• Enter an address to find nearby bus stops
• A list of locations will display, showing the stop
number
• Select a location to confirm departures from this
stop
How much does it cost?
You only pay for the cost of your text message.
FAQs
How the TXTBUS service works
Q1. How does the TXTBUS service work?
Q2. What information does the TXTBUS provide?
Q3. What if a bus is due to arrive in 30 seconds?
Q4. Does TXTBUS just provide scheduled bus timetables?
Q5. What bus services can I use TXTBUS for?
Q6. Can I choose which services I get notified about?
Q7. Can TXTBUS tell me whether buses are accessible?
TXTBUS Message Results and what they mean
Q17. A bus listed in the TXTBUS message did not arrive at the time it said. Why?
Q18. I can't get the information I need from TXTBUS, what can I do?
Q1. How does TXTBUS work?
A. TXTBUS monitors bus locations via GPS satellite as it progresses along a route. The bus location is then compared to the timetable, to predict the arrival time at each stop along the route.
TXTBUS messages contains the predicted arrival times sent out by the system. On occasion, the bus cannot be tracked. When that happens it sends the next timetabled services, this is shown with an asterisk. E.g. 4 mins*.
Q2. What information does the TXTBUS service provide?
A. TXTBUS provides the following information in response to an SMS request from a customer:
- A description of the bus stop location, so the customer can check they have provided the correct bus stop number.
- A list of bus routes expected to arrive at the bus stop within the next 30 minutes, including the Route Number and the predicted number of minutes until it arrives.
E.g. 4 mins*.
Q3. What if a bus is due to arrive in 30 seconds?
A. All predicted arrival times less than 2 minutes will be shown as “DUE”.
Q4. Does TXTBUS just provide scheduled bus timetables?
A. No. TXTBUS tracks the progress of the bus in real time and provides predicted arrival times. Sometimes a bus cannot be tracked or it is not possible to confidently provide a predicted arrival time, then TXTBUS provides the scheduled arrival time from the timetable (displayed with an asterisk. E.g. 4 mins*.).
If the bus operator cancels a scheduled trip unbeknown to TXTBUS, it will still provide the scheduled arrival time from the timetable.
If the bus operator runs additional trips unbeknown to TXTBUS, no arrival time will be provided.
Q5. What bus services can I use TXTBUS for?
A. Currently TXTBUS includes all the services operated by Sydney Buses.
Q6. Can I choose which services I get notified about?
A. Yes. After the Bus Stop Number, put a space followed by the service you need. Eg 2000133 M41 will return all M41 services that approach bus stop 2000133 within the next 30 minutes.
If you are interested in more than one service, each further service
would be separated by a space. E.g. 2000133 M41 M42 will return all M41
and M42 services that approach bus stop 2000133 within the next 30
minutes.
Q7. Can TXTBUS tell me whether buses are accessible?
No. It is not possible to provide accessible information at this stage. Visit our Accessible Transport page or call the transport Infoline on 131500.
Q8. More buses arrived at my stop within the last 30 minutes than were listed in the TXTBUS message. Why?
A. At busy stops and during peak times, many services may stop at the bus stop. Due to the 160 character limitation of all SMS messages, not all bus arrival details can be listed in the message so the buses displayed are the ones that will arrive first. You can use filtering on the SMS to filter only services that you need. (Refer to Q6)
Q9. I’m at a bus stop that some routes use for both inbound and out bound services. How can I tell which direction the TXTBUS SMS bus displayed are travelling?
A. Due to limitations in the size of an SMS message, the destination of the bus cannot be provided. Customers waiting at these stops should check the destination of the approaching bus on its display board.
Q10. I received the following message: “Bus Information Temporarily Unavailable. Transport Info 131500”. What does this mean?
A. The system that provides TXTBUS may be down temporarily. Please try again later and refer to Q18.
Q11. I received a message like: “Unknown transit stop number 2xxxxx. Transport Info 131500”. What does this mean?
A. A bus stop number was entered that was not recognised by TXTBUS . Please check the number of the bus stop you require and confirm it was entered correctly in the SMS message you sent to TXTBUS.
Q12. I received a message like: “No buses participating in this SMS service stop at bus stop 2xxxxx. Transport Info 131500”. What does this mean?
A. This will happen if there are no buses participating in the TXTBUS service scheduled to stop at the nominated bus stop. Refer to Q18.
Q13. I received a message like: “No buses participating in this SMS service are expected at bus stop 2xxxxx within the next 30 mins. Transport Info 131500”. What does this mean?
A. This will happen if there are no buses that are participating in TXTBUS, scheduled to pass your nominated bus stop in the next 30 minutes, or the system was unable to obtain timetable data from the bus operator. Refer to Q18.
Q14. I received a message containing some bus routes and predicted arrival times, but none of these buses arrived. What should I do?
A. Every SMS sent byTXTBUS will contain a description of the bus stop location. Check this description to ensure it corresponds your intended bus stop. Refer to Q18.
Q15. I received a message containing some bus routes and predicted arrival times, that had an asterisk (*) next to them. What does this mean?
A. An arrival time marked with an asterisk, e.g. 4 mins* means that this is the scheduled arrival time from the bus operator's timetable. This will happen in cases where the system is unable to identify and track the bus or it is unable to confidently provide a predicted arrival time for a bus. This may occur if the bus has deviated from the planned route because of road works, or it is unable to be tracked accurately with GPS.
Q16. A bus just arrived at my bus stop, but it was not listed as one of the buses in the SMS message I received. Why did this happen?
A. While every effort is made to provide estimated arrival times for all buses that service your requested stop, there may be cases where a bus company will use a bus that either does not have GPS equipment on-board or is being used to perform additional trips that are not listed in the published timetable. In these cases, it is not possible to track the bus.
Q17. A bus listed in the TXTBUS message did not arrive at the time it said. Why?
A. The predictions provided by TXTBUS are accurate at the time they are sent, but TXTBUS is unable to predict what may affect a bus after a message is sent, such as traffic or other incidents. For these reasons, it may be advisable to send a subsequent SMS message to find out about any recent changes in bus arrival times.
Q18. I can't get the information I need from TXTBUS sevice, what can I do?
Check the timetable using 131500 channels or refer to the timetable at the bus stop.
