Want to know if the Route 5 bus is coming soon to your stop?

There is now an app for that.

The Capital District Transportation Authority has launched its first mobile device application.

Phone users will be able to get real-time information on where the bus is and how soon it will be at a particular stop. The app can be used for devices operating on Apple, Android and BlackBerry platforms.

The application can only be used for BusPlus routes and features schedules for all BusPlus stations, an interactive map and a touch-a-stop feature.

"It's just for the BusPlus on Route 5," CDTA spokeswoman Margo Janack said. "Right now we're piloting it and seeing how our customers are using it."

The application is meant to be convenient for customers, she said.

"If you're shopping in a store and want to know the next bus is, you just go to your app," she said.

Customers can also access BusPlus information through digital signs at stations, on computers, through text messaging, and by email. Riders can also sign up for alerts at bustime.cdta.org. Arrival predictions are made for the next two to three buses, and the bus is tracked live to show where it is and how it is progressing on its route.

— Tim O'Brien