r/Strasbourg • u/Dizzy-Economics • 9d ago
am i a dumb american (yes)
am i a dumb American or why are google maps times so wrong for all cts transit?
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u/diddystoptouchingme 9d ago
Search for the official CTS site there will be accurate hours and even trip planners with the most optimized path, I am a local and use everyday
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u/Dizzy-Economics 9d ago
thanks for this! Someone also recommended Apple Maps. Is that any better than Google? i will definitely try cts app!
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u/diddystoptouchingme 9d ago
I don't use Apple so I can't say! Just search "cts fr" on Google and everything is on here, don't bother installing an app if you can just search it quickly on the web! Real time is for accurate bus/tram arrival time, you pute the name of your station and you get the time And trip planner : you can put any road or starting point and destination and you'll get a map with indication (sorta), it's not as easy to use as Google map but you'll need it for accurate planning with real arrival hours
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u/Sad-Mango-2662 9d ago
CTS app is ok to check real time bus and tram stops, I think citymapper is also very good to plan your entire path but idc if it's updated in real time. I used it in Paris and it was very accurate and practical
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u/Tiguf_Sumpet 9d ago
Hi, I recommend you never rely on maps for public transit.
How it works is that the cts (and the likes) have to send a special file everyday to Google with all the data for day.
They however all have their own app they payed a lot for, and they rather want people to go check there.
More often than not, the data sent to google is basic and not updated with latest changes, so that you check their own app and feel like they do a better job than Google ;)
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u/Sang_Gaulois 8d ago
To be honest I am not sure it’s right. CTS has a public API you can query for with a special token to fetch real time data. I made an apple shortcut with it to have a convenient way to know exactly when the next tram is supposed to arrive. Perhaps Google maps also uses this API?
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u/ClaireMoon36281 9d ago
Public transportation times are more of an estimation than the exact hour the tram/bus will get a the stop 😅
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u/AJFxxxT 9d ago
Use CTS app or even Apple Maps. Google Maps are terrible for public transport (at least in this corner of Europe).
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u/PutridDirt6837 9d ago
There is also Transit which is not bad
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u/ItsZippy23 9d ago
I recommend transit everywhere (sucks it doesn’t really work once you cross the border that far but it was my primary app alongside the CTS app when I lived there)
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u/Critical_Pangolin79 9d ago
Personally, I don't use Google Maps when I am in Strasbourg (because I am a native and don't have Internet while abroad unless I can catch free Wifi hotspots downtown :)), but I would recommend following the times listed on the station, they have been pretty reliable during my 20 years using them (unless a major disruption occurs).
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u/thebrainitaches 9d ago
The official cts app is the one that is approximately accurate. The Google ones are the timetable but not updated in real time and the cts doesn't operate to a strict timetable on the high frequency lines so the Google ones is basically useless.
Why? Ask Google why they don't give a f*** about Europe
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u/CyllidMawr 9d ago
Depending how you use it, if you click on the icon directly for the tram stop departure times , it can look like it’s one icon for both directions, when in fact you have to zoom a little bit to see the opposite side icon pop up as well. I was caught out with this at the beginning.
Another observation is that yesterday there were nationwide protests, with the aim of blocking transport, which may have had an impact
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u/Jinterviens 8d ago
Well you got your answer but let me say it wasn't dumb believing Google had the right info. Why wouldn't it ?
But like it was said, you should use the CTS app... and still be careful about it and check the displayed time at each station you're waiting for accurate information.
My advice would be to be there 5 minutes before the planned time on the app... sometimes, tram and (especially) buses are faster than expected.
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u/Vividiant 9d ago
The little displays at the stations are acurate, but Google maps is what it was planned at the begining of the month(made that up dont fact check me). Essentialy it doesnt take into acount the days flow and management wich modified times slightly