SacRT BusTracker: The new app has a rating of 1.8/5 on the iOS AppStore. This sort of score usually indicates an app with major flaws, or that doesn’t work at all. The app does work, at least for Dan, but the interface is very awkward, requiring multiple steps to find bus route and location information. The app does not contain any information about light rail train locations, only buses. Apparently this app was written in-house at SacRT, and is just a portal to the bustime.sacrt.com website and can be used there. Transit app, which works for nearly all transit agencies, and is the recommended app for many transit agencies, was not chosen by SacRT, though it provides the same function and is much, much easier to use.

Alert SacRT: The app has a rating of 4.4/5 on the iOS AppStore. This app provides direct calls to SacRT Police. It also provides rider alerts, which are voluminous lately because so many light rail trains are behind schedule. It allows riders to submit issues, with a long list of types: crime in progress, sexual harassment, customer comment/feedback, drug activity, graffiti/vandalism, homeless/mental health, wellness check, human trafficing, maintenance/trash/signage issue, nuisance behavior – loud music, smoking, drinking, safety hazard, suspicious activity/person, ticket machine problem, unattended bag or package, crossing arm malfunction, immediate assistance needed “HELP”, fire, blocked tracks/accident, and employee safety reporting, which has a subset of types. Dan has used the app a number of times. Though reports are acknowledged, resolutions are rarely reported.

ZipPass: The app has a rating of 4.4/5 on the iOS AppStore. This app allows purchase of tickets and passes. It is also used by Yolobus (Yolo County) and Unitrans (Davis). The rider shows the ticket screen on their device to the bus operator, or the ticket checker on light rail. This app is a local version of Bytemark, which makes a number of different ticketing apps, and is a part of Siemens.

SacRT Flex: The app has a rating of 3.7/5 on the iOS AppStore. This app allows scheduling of trips on the SacRT Flex service, which is ‘Limited to seniors, persons with disabilities, low-income individuals, and minors aged 13–17 in low-income households’. It requires pre-registration to prove status, but registration is easy. Rides can be reserved the day before up to two days before, but not day-of. This may change. The service uses the same SmartRide zones and hour of operation, Mon-Fri 7-7. The app was apparently produced by Via, the company which operates the Flex service.

SacRT Go Paratransit Service: The app has a rating of 2.6/5 on the iOS AppStore. This app is only for riders who qualify for paratransit service, so we don’t have anything to report since the author Dan does not qualify.