You already know that there are a plethora of apps out there to help motorists avoid traffic, but what about for bus riders? With all the good they’ re doing to help save the planet, shouldn’ t they get cool apps too? Also, why is my bus five minutes late and when is it really going to get here?

An increasing number of cities are answering all of those questions by rolling out real-time bus tracking systems that riders can access on their smartphones using either apps or mobile sites. Los Angeles recently introduced the Nextrip system, which syncs up with your phone’ s GPS to show you where you are, where the nearby buses are and when they’ ll arrive at their stops. New York City is piloting a similar program called Bus Time, which tracks the B63 route in Brooklyn. Riders can access Bus Time via the mobile web or a series of third-party apps. Chicago, San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon have been running comparable programs for months now.

Riders in Chicago and New York City who don’ t have smartphones can also benefit from this technology. Both cities have made it easy for anyone with internet access and a computer screen to create a bus time arrival sign that constantly updates. The DIY sign creators enable businesses along bus routes to display arrival times in their store windows, attracting more customers. After all, people are more likely to pop in and grab a cup of coffee if they know the bus isn’ t going to arrive for another ten minutes. You can see the New York City signs in action here as part of a recent NY1 story, and the Chicago signs here on Streetfilms.

Thanks to cities creating these bus tracking programs—and sharing the technology with app developers and business owners—your smartphone can make waiting for a bus a whole lot easier. But once you board the bus, don’ t blame your phone if you were so absorbed in a round of Plants vs. Zombies that you missed your stop. Sometimes you just have to pay attention.