NextBus

A modern Android application for tracking BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) buses in real-time. Find nearby bus stops, search for routes, and track live bus locations on an interactive map.

• Real-time Bus Tracking: Track live BMTC buses on the map with automatic updates
• Nearby Bus Stops: Discover bus stops near your current location
• Route Search: Search for bus routes and view all stops along the route
• Interactive Map: Google Maps integration with custom markers and route visualization
• Route Visualization: View complete route paths with animated polylines
• Direction Toggle: Switch between up and down route directions
• Bus Stop Details: View detailed information about bus stops including available routes
• Live Vehicle Markers: See real-time bus positions with last refresh timestamps
• Dark Mode Support: Automatic dark theme for maps and UI
• Location Services: Built-in location tracking with permission handling

• Language: Kotlin
• UI Framework: Jetpack Compose
• Architecture: MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel)
• Maps: Google Maps SDK for Android
• Location: Google Play Services Location
• Places API: Google Places API for bus stop data
• State Management: Kotlin Coroutines + Flow
• Permissions: Accompanist Permissions

• Android Studio Hedgehog or newer
• Android SDK 24 or higher
• Google Maps API Key
• JDK 11 or higher

git clone https://github.com/PowerX-NOT/NextBus.git
cd NextBus

1. Create a .env file in the project root directory:

   GOOGLE_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
   

2. Obtain a Google Maps API Key:

   • Go to Google Cloud Console
   • Create a new project or select an existing one
   • Enable the following APIs:
     • Maps SDK for Android
     • Places API
     • Geocoding API
   • Create credentials (API Key)
   • Copy the API key to your .env file

3. The API key will be automatically injected into the build during compilation

./gradlew assembleDebug

Or run directly from Android Studio.

app/src/main/java/com/android/nextbus/
├── data/
│   ├── model/              # Data models (BusStop, etc.)
│   └── network/            # Network services
│       ├── BmtcRouteService.kt       # BMTC API integration
│       ├── NearbyBusStopService.kt   # Places API integration
│       └── BusStopRouteService.kt    # Route discovery
├── ui/
│   ├── components/         # Reusable UI components
│   │   └── SearchCard.kt   # Bottom search interface
│   ├── maps/              # Map-related UI
│   │   ├── GoogleMapScreen.kt  # Main map screen
│   │   └── MapViewModel.kt     # Map state management
│   └── theme/             # App theming
│       ├── Color.kt
│       ├── Theme.kt
│       ├── Type.kt
│       └── MapStyles.kt   # Dark mode map styling
└── MainActivity.kt        # Entry point

The app follows the MVVM (Model-View-ViewModel) architecture pattern:

• Models: Data classes representing bus stops, routes, and live vehicles
• Services: Network layer for fetching data from BMTC APIs and Google Places
• ViewModel: MapViewModel manages app state and business logic
• Views: Composable functions for UI rendering

The app uses Kotlin StateFlow for reactive state management:

• Bus stops, routes, and live vehicles are exposed as StateFlow
• UI automatically reacts to state changes
• Coroutines handle asynchronous operations

Interfaces with BMTC's official API to:

• Search for route suggestions
• Fetch stops for specific routes
• Retrieve route polylines
• Get live vehicle positions

Uses Google Places API to:

• Find nearby bus stops based on user location
• Resolve BMTC stop names to Google Places
• Match stops to route polylines for accuracy

Manages application state including:

• User location tracking
• Bus stop selection and display
• Route search and visualization
• Live vehicle polling and updates
• Search card expansion state

• Polls BMTC API every second for latest vehicle positions
• Smoothly animates bus markers between positions
• Snaps buses to route polylines for accuracy
• Displays last refresh timestamp

• Animated polyline drawing effect
• Color-coded routes (blue for up, red for down)
• Densified polylines for smooth curves
• Direction toggle controls

• Searches within 1km radius
• Resolves BMTC stops to Google Places for accurate coordinates
• Shows custom markers (yellow for selected, red for unselected)
• Displays available routes at each stop

The app requires the following permissions:

• ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION: For user location tracking
• ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION: For approximate location
• INTERNET: For API calls and map tiles

Base URL: https://bmtcmobileapi.karnataka.gov.in/WebAPI

Endpoints used:

• /SearchRoute_v2: Route search
• /SearchByRouteDetails_v4: Route details and stops
• /RoutePoints: Polyline coordinates

• Maps SDK for Android: Map display
• Places API: Bus stop discovery
• Geocoding API: Location services

• Live tracking is specific to BMTC (Bangalore) buses only
• Route data depends on BMTC API availability
• Some bus stop coordinates from BMTC may be inaccurate (resolved via Google Places)
• Live vehicle positions may experience delays based on GPS updates

• Favorites management for frequent routes and stops
• Arrival time predictions
• Route planning between locations
• Offline mode with cached data
• Push notifications for bus arrivals
• Support for other cities/transit systems

• BMTC for providing public API access
• Google Maps Platform for mapping services
• Material Design 3 for UI components