NextBus Alerts Help

NextBus Alerts allow you to setup alerts that will notify you using SMS, e-mail, or your web browser when your vehicle is about to arrive.

• Can I be notified by my standard cell phone?
• Can I be notified via email?
• Are there additional charges for SMS use?
• Is my privacy protected?
• Why do NextBus SMS alerts not work in Canada?
• How do web based alerts work?
• Can web alerts be used on cell phone?
• How do I turn the alerts on?
• Do I have to keep my NextBus page open in my web browser for web based alerts?
• Two buses go my way. How can I get an alert that tells me when either bus is going to arrive?
• Whats the deal with Route Watch alerts?

Can I be notified by my standard cell phone?
Yes! in the United States you can setup to be alerted via SMS.

Can I be notified via email?
Yes! simply choose 'email' during the setup process and the alert will be sent to your email address registered with the NextBus system.

Are there additional charges for SMS use?
Only standard SMS charges from your cell phone company apply. NextBus does not charge anything additional to send or receive messages.

Is my privacy protected?
NextBus will not provide your phone number or any other information to third parties, nor use your information for any other services.

Why do NextBus SMS alerts not work in Canada?
Unfortunately the free SMS service we use is not currently available in Canada. In the future we expect to use a different SMS service that will also be available in Canada.

How do web based alerts work?
The alert runs as a Java applet in your web browser (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox). It reads in your profile and then runs in the background waiting for a prediction specified in your profile. When a vehicle is the specified number of minutes away from your stop, an alert dialog box will popup telling you so. The dialog box will also continue to show the current prediction. Hit the OK button to make the alert dialog go away (until the alert is triggered on a following day). Hit the snooze button in order to have the alert go away until the next vehicle is within the desired prediction of your stop.

Can web alerts be used on cell phone?
The web alerts were designed to work on desktop computers with regular network connections. They were not intended for use on cell phones. They require Java to work, which is not supported on most phones.

How do I turn the web based alerts on?
You need to open up your web browser and go to the www.NextBus.com/myNextBus page. You might need to log in to get this page. Having my NextBus remember your login makes this process quicker. You need to remember to go to this page every time you start up your web browser in order for the alert applet to run.

Do I have to keep my NextBus page open in my web browser for web based alerts?
The alert applet continues to run, even if you switch to another page in your browser. NOTE: If you exit out of your web browser, the alert applet will stop.

Two buses go my way. How can I get an alert that tells me when either bus is going to arrive?
Simply set up two separate alerts, one for each route. You will get a dialog box for whichever one comes first.

Whats the deal with Route Watch alerts?
Sometimes, when there is a disruption on a line, agencies send out messages. If you choose to set up Route Watch alerts, you will have these messages sent to your phone or email.