“Where’s my bus?” The answer to that question is getting considerably easier for thousands of New Jersey bus riders as NJ Transit rolls out its new “My Bus” program, which takes much of the guesswork out of scheduling a trip.

My Bus, which launched in October, allows riders to find out when the next bus is arriving just by picking up their phone. Every bus stop in the state has a 5-digit ID number, which riders simply have to send via text message to “MyBus” (69287) or call 973-275-5555. The agency will respond via text with the routes and times for at least three of the next scheduled trips at that stop.

To publicize the program, NJ Transit is installing new My Bus signs at stops statewide that display the bus stop ID along with instructions for how to use the system. For now, the agency is in the process of installing the My Bus signs one county at a time, but riders can find their stop ID, as well as a map of local stops by visiting www.njTransit.com/mybus. Sign installation is complete in Atlantic County and underway in Morris County, and every stop in the state will have a label by January 2012.

So far, My Bus averages about 1,000 requests per day, and that number will only grow as the agency rolls out more signage at its 19,000 stops.

Image: TSTC.