Transit Tracker by ETR
Live Transit times on your wall, desk or wherever you need it most! Coordinated by Edmonton Transit Riders volunteers.
Pre-orders closed Friday, October 23 at 11:59 p.m. Transit Trackers ready in December 2026.
Missed this round of orders?
Business, non-profit or community space? We’d love to put a tracker where more people can see it.
Email us at [email protected]
Based on the open source Eastside Urbanism project from Seattle.
Have a Transit Tracker to set up?
Transit Trackers FAQ
How does this pre-order work?
(Ended) You select add-ons and colours, and pay for your order by Oct 23rd and pick it up at one of the five options listed in early December 2026. ETR will have other order rounds and more opportunities to purchase one in the future.
How does it connect to internet?
The circuit board running the transit tracker connects to most home 2.4GHz wifi networks with a standard network name and password. It can also connect to most smartphone hotspots.
Transit Trackers currently do not have the capability to connect to certain public wifi networks like the City’s “Open Wifi” or the “eduroam” at education institutions. These have unique validation requirements that are not currently compatible with the circuit boards inside the Transit Trackers.
How does Transit Tracker get live data?
If the arrival time countdown on the right side of the screen is white, that means the transit tracker is using the scheduled time. If it is green with pulsing wave, that means it is using the real-time location of the bus.
The tracker is using the same live data feed that other navigation apps use! Over 90% of the ETS bus fleet has realtime tracking! You can see this in action at Transit55. Interested in the detailed technical details? Visit ttdev.edmontontransitriders.org.
What if I want one for my shop, business, or other public location?
Email us at [email protected] or fill out the form to chat! We have a few out in the public at businesses right now. There are extra considerations and costs when putting one out in public (over a private office or residence) to ensure a smooth accessible user experience.
ETR is looking for connections to independent seniors residences to test Transit Trackers there.
Is it hard to set up the transit tracker?
It is very easy to change or update your transit tracker once it is in your home! Another device like a computer or smartphone is needed to use the browser based configurator here. Video tutorials coming soon and volunteers can always help via email.
Can I put the Transit Tracker outside?
These current designs are for indoor use only. ETR hopes to develop one for outdoor use – especially as Edmonton is a festival city! Stay tuned!
How can I get involved with this ETR Transit Tracker project?
Email us at [email protected] to chat! All the work to date has been done by volunteers. ETR is trying to convene a dedicated volunteer run working committee to take this to the next level in 2027.
What is inside the Transit Tracker?
Transit Tracker is a DIY public transit arrivals board powered by an ESP32-S3 and two LED matrix displays. All held together with a 3D printed case. ESP32-S3 boards are like the popular raspberry pi boards, but simpler.
The base software works off of the same foundations as the popular Home Assistant open-source home automation software (open-source google home, apple home or Amazon Alexa).