It’s a typical situation in a city like Seattle: travelers rush to the bus stop, turning the corner right as the clock ticks to the time their bus is supposed to arrive. But when they get to the stop and the bus isn’t there, they can never be sure if the bus was early and they missed it, or if it’s behind schedule.

That’s why Brian Ferris, a doctorate student in the UW’s computer science program, took on the problem and created the program OneBusAway. The program, which has seen usage grow steadily since its launch early last summer, gives bus riders up-to-date information regarding bus arrival times.

Ferris, an avid bus rider, started putting together OneBusAway with the help of Kari Watkins, a UW doctorate student in civil engineering.

The program offers bus riders real-time data about when their bus is going to arrive at any given stop. Bus riders can get the information by calling the OneBusAway phone number, sending a text, using a computer or using a special application for iPhones.

“I think it sounds really great,” said UW senior Noemy Torres, who has been riding the bus since her sophomore year in college. “I always use the pamphlets (located on the buses) because they don’t really update the information at the bus stops.”

Torres added that even the pamphlets aren’t 100 percent accurate because they only give time estimates for busy stops.

The program aims to give riders information while they are waiting at their stop. Most of the information provided by King County Metro requires a computer, which doesn’t help when riders are waiting in the cold for a bus, Ferris said.

King County Metro does have a phone line riders can call for real-time arrival information, but some riders say it’s not the most accurate.

“I call it all the time,” said Sennie Rose, a UW Medical Center employee, who said sometimes the line is accurate and sometimes it’s not.

Ferris said the goal of OneBusAway is to make transit more accessible to riders. The Web site gets about 1,000 hits per day, and the program has received thousands of phone calls since its inception.

The easy-to-use program prompts users through the steps to find their bus if they aren’t sure what to do, but just like any technical entity, it does have some bugs.

“I’ve had some people that really rely on it and then they will miss their bus if something goes wrong,” Ferris said. “But we work to fix those problems.”

Ferris sees big prospects for the future of OneBusAway. Within the next few months, a real-time trip planner should be launched on the site, which would allow riders to figure out the fastest way to get from point A to point B. Ferris is also hoping to create a system that allows riders to check their commute time by transit based on where they live.

“Different tools will just make transit easier,” he added. “Pretty soon, your phone will be able to guide you completely around the city, especially if you’re not used to it.”

To get real-time arrival information from OneBusAway, call 206-456-0609 or visit www.onebusaway.org/ for more information.

Reach reporter Celia Hunko at news@dailyuw.com.