A bus can move quickly between stops and still take a while to cross town. Measure the trip from your seat to see the difference between cruising speed, stop time and the average for the whole ride. The average is often the number that helps most when planning a similar journey.
Track the ride between stops
Choose Bus and start before the bus moves. Allow location access when your browser asks. The tool uses the speed your device reports. If it only reports location, the tool estimates speed from the distance and time between two reliable readings. Pause when you reach the stop where you want to end the measurement.
A route through a city centre with frequent stops will often have a lower average speed than a route with a bus lane and longer gaps between stops. The table gives examples of speeds you might see. Junctions, traffic and road conditions also matter. Use the operator’s timetable for departure times and journey estimates.
| Situation | Approximate speed |
|---|---|
| Congested centre with frequent stops | 10–25 km/h |
| Moving on urban roads | 20–50 km/h |
| Cruising on open roads | 55–90 km/h |
Examples depend on the road and service. Route averages include time spent at stops and can be lower than the cruising speed.
What counts towards the trip average
Leave the tracker running at lights and stops if you want to measure the whole ride on the bus. Time spent stationary counts towards the average. If you compare one section of a route, start and stop at the same stops each time. Note any diversions, heavy traffic or express services, since they can help explain the difference.
Imagine that two stops are 6 km apart along the route and the trip takes 24 minutes. The average is 15 km/h, even if the bus briefly reached much higher speeds. If you are choosing between two routes, compare the average and the total time, then account separately for walking, waiting for the bus and transferring.
Get a GPS reading on board
Try sitting near a window if your device has trouble finding your location. The bus body, treated glass, tall buildings and covered terminals can weaken the signal. The tracker skips locations that could be off by more than 30 metres. If the signal is missing for a long stretch, the displayed distance may leave out part of the trip.
Where a ride passes through a tunnel, the speed may stop updating until good fixes return. Note your departure and arrival times if you need a comparison for that section. If you also know the actual route distance, enter the two values in the calculator to estimate an average without relying on GPS.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the trip average lower than the speed on the dial?
The dial shows how fast you were moving recently. The trip average includes all the time the tracker was running, even when the bus was stationary. A queue, long stop or busy junction can lower the average.
Can I use the tool on a coach or airport shuttle?
Yes. Choose Bus and start measuring in the browser. The comparison band is illustrative, so a coach on an open road can be above the range. The numerical reading can still show values above the printed scale.
Will I get the exact distance from one stop to another?
The distance is an estimate. The tool adds the distances between reliable location readings, so missed readings and turns can affect the result. Use a published route distance if you need a consistent figure for comparison.