Most of popular mapping apps like Apple Maps, Google Maps, or MapQuest can warn you about heavy traffic on certain roads, but they don’t really go much further than that. The reality is traffic can ruin someone’s day.
If you’re on a tight schedule, you’ll need an application that can not only provide you with real-time traffic information, but help you learn new routes to avoid traffic all together. These four apps we are going to show you will do all that, and much more.
Inrix
Inrix is a free crowd-sourced application available for IOS and Android devices that gathers traffic data and alerts to make you more knowledgeable about which roads to avoid during your commute and which ones to Aim for. Additionally, it has traffic cameras in numerous areas so that you can see how crowded the streets are.
An interesting and very unique feature of this application is that it lets you choose your own route rather than assigning automatically the suggested rout to your destination. You can use waypoints on the map to set up and save exactly where you go, and will also send you traffic alerts and an estimated time arrival for that route.
Inrix also notifies you of incidents around such as accidents or construction work, complete with a brief description of the incident and an estimate of how long it could affect the area. The crowd-sourcing ensures that Inrix is as accurate as can be.
Inrix Traffic Premium is available for only $9.99 and includes an unlimited number of saved places, gas prices at local gas stations and the possibility of using it in 32 countries worldwide.
Beat the Traffic
Beat the traffic is a free application for IOS and Android devices. It has the same features as Inrix with a slightly nicer user interface. However, this application is only available in United States and Canada and it’s not crowd-sourced, reason why it has more than a few negative reviews in the App Store about its accuracy. However, accuracy with these apps will depend entirely on your area, and this specific application one is free. We recommend you downloading it to test out the accuracy in your area and see if you like the design and features of the app.
You can save your favorite routes and even name them, view traffic cameras, accidents, and receive notifications about the traffic nearby. Routes can be modified as well so you can drive on your preferred roads. Beat the Traffic also integrates weather reports.
Waze
Waze takes an extremely unique approach to traffic management that makes mapping and navigating social. This application is also free for IOS and Android and it has millions of users around the world. This application not only collects heavy traffic and incident data but it allows users to report traffic and incident when passing by them.
When a user reports an incident, it will appear in little bubble throughout the map or an alert if you’re using GPS navigation. Some other features included on this app are: the ability to save your home and work addresses, add friends, leave messages for other users on the road; it learns the routes you use the most and eventually populates traffic data along that route; it also suggests an alternative route while you’re driving if it notices that another route is less congested. Additionally, the app gets smarter as you use it.
ETA
Eta is a treat for enthusiasts of minimalism. This application is specially designed to let users know the estimated of arrival for as many locations as they want to monitor.
All you have to do is add your current location and all of your other locations you typically travel to. The application will let you know the estimated time of arrival for all of them, plus provides multiple routes with their estimated time of arrival to the multiple destinations you have saved into the application.
This application does not include the fancy features that the other three on the list do, such as specific traffic alerts or incident reports. It simply provides you with a quick and easy way to learn about the traffic in your area and prepare to leave accordingly so you arrive on time. This application has a cost of $1.99 for iPhone but it will come with a great Notification Center widget. Tap the Today tab in Notification Center, then scroll down and tap Edit to find the ETA widget and enable it. It offers a quick look at the locations you frequently travel to and your arrival times right from Notification Center.
