From the street to the screen
The position is born in the onboard equipment. It needs to be calculated, transmitted over the mobile network, received by intermediary systems, made available by the public source, processed by BuzuRadar and finally drawn in the browser. Each step adds a few seconds — and may fail.
Therefore, the icon should not be read as an exact point that moves continuously. It represents the last known position. If the bus is traveling at 30 km/h, a one-minute delay can already mean a difference of around 500 meters, before even considering traffic lights, stops or congestion.
Position timestamp and packet timestamp
GTFS Realtime good practices recommend that each position has the time at which it was measured. Without this field, a consumer may be forced to use the general time of the message and appear as if an old record is newer than it actually is.
In BuzuRadar, the age of the data is part of the information. A recent record can provide an approximate location; an old record serves, at most, as a clue to where the vehicle was.
How to read the map safely
Use the map to answer questions proportional to the accuracy available: Are there vehicles observed? Where were they seen? Is the transmission recent? Does the line show continuity? Avoid turning an isolated position into an exact arrival forecast.
Estimating wait time also requires the direction, route, traffic, dwell time, regularity, and distance to the stop. Location data helps, but does not replace a validated arrival-prediction system.
- Always check the age of the last position.
- Be wary of impossible jumps or vehicles stopped for a long time in the same spot.
- Compare more than one update before inferring movement.
- Treat the drawn route as an operational reference, not as a physical trail.