Tired of waiting for a bus that’s running late? There’s a way to avoid that.

Whether you’re in Cleveland or Akron, it’s now pretty easy to get a better idea of when your bus will arrive.Software developers are taking real-time GPS data that the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority has been collecting for years and using it to create user-friendly mobile apps.Further south, the Akron Metro RTA recently launched a system that lets riders figure out exactly when their bus will arrive, via text.And both RTA systems are working on more ways to take advantage of the massive amount of data they’re collecting these days, according to officials from both systems.“The ultimate goal would be to provide endless data to our riders,” said Michael Lively, manager of intelligent transportation systems with the Greater Cleveland RTA.The Cleveland RTA has been collecting GPS data on the location of its buses and trains for about a decade, and over the years that data has slowly become more accessible to customers.For instance, last summer, a Canadian company called Transit App released a Cleveland version of its popular smartphone app. It lets Cleveland RTA riders plan trips using real-time data that helps them find a nearby bus or train that will be arriving soon.Today, the company scrapes that data from a public RTA website called NextConnect, which was launched in 2011. Eventually, however, the Cleveland RTA wants to give developers direct access to all of the data it collects from its vehicles, Lively said.First, however, the organization wants to double-check the exact GPS location of every stop and measure the distance between those stops. That effort should be completed this year, Lively said.“By opening the data up, developers can do whatever they want with it,” he said.The Akron Metro RTA is just starting to take advantage of its new data collection system.Last year, that organization put up more than 2,300 signs at bus stops throughout the Akron area. Each sign tells riders to send a particular text message to a particular number to learn when the next bus will arrive.The system went live in September, said data systems manager Mark Hobson.Eventually Akron RTA riders will be able to plan trips using real-time bus data by visiting the organization’s new website, www.yourbus.org.You can already use that site to track Akron RTA buses as they drive around town.Click on a bus icon and you’ll learn where it’s going, whether it’s on time and how many people are on board.The Akron RTA knows when people get on and off a bus because they walk through three infrared beams in the process. And that information could prove to be valuable, Hobson said.For instance, if one stop isn’t getting many riders, “maybe we move the bus over a couple blocks,” he said. And if another bus is getting a lot of riders? “Maybe we put another bus on that route,” he said.Hobson isn’t claiming that Akron is ahead of the many other cities working to digitally connect riders with buses. Limited funding has slowed down the process of implementing new technology, he said.Officials from Cleveland and Akron said they had to overcome technical barriers to get to this point. For instance, both RTA systems had to upgrade their computer systems to handle all the new data they’re collecting and distributing.But at least there appear to be real riders out there who want the data. For instance, Cleveland RTA riders seem to like the “real-time departures” widget that shows up whenever someone looks up a specific bus and train route at www.riderta.com. That widget accepted 1.9 million requests for real-time data during 2015.The Akron RTA hasn’t done much to promote its real-time data system, but it still received about 8,000 text messages during the first month after it launched, Hobson said.It received about 15,000 text messages this past December. “People are using it,” Hobson said.