MAX MyStop app now available in smartphone app store. Pictured here is homepage of app.

The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority has launched an app that will allow riders to track their MAX Transit bus in real time.

For the first time, Birmingham bus riders will know exactly when their bus will arrive at their stop.

"This is an exciting time. We are removing the guesswork from any bus trip by using 'MAX MyStop,'" said BJCTA Executive Director Barbara Murdock. "The real-time arrival information is just one more way we are working to improve our service."

The MAX MyStop app is available to download now on any iPhone or Android device (search for MyStop Mobile and select MAX). The live-tracking system can also be accessed on the Max Transit website here.

MAX buses are equipped with GPS technology, which communicates with the app software and allows the public to see their locations.

In the app, all riders have to do is click on their route and bus stop and then wait to see where their bus is and when it will arrive.

Once on the bus, riders can use the app to determine the length of the bus trip.

The app also allows riders to plan their trip using the bus schedules and maps, schedule text alerts for departures, receive rider alerts for delays or detours and find directions to bus stops.

MAX Transit's new downtown central station at Birmingham's Intermodal Facility opened in June. According to the BJCTA, 63 buses will operate out of the central station at 1701 Morris Avenue.

Construction continues on the remainder of the intermodal facility, which will house Amtrak and Greyhound. The transit giants are expected to begin their build-out of the facility in October.