StopBoard - free live bus departure board for every stop in Great Britain

[BuhSnarf]

Vibe coding is just another tool to help people achieve something they otherwise wouldn't be able to do without significant time in learning how to code by hand.

It fills a function, but you'll always get haters as it's not "pure", similar to how people hated Visual Basic when that wrote your code for you. Or when DreamWeaver meant you could build a website like writing a Word document instead of knowing HTML.

If it works, that's all that will matter for 90% of the world. This web app is something that wasn't there before but now is, that's a benefit.

 

[Magrar]

Sadly vibe coding is only now a thing because people love free stuff, and traditional programming never quite got the job done, ironically because humans really suck at thinking like machines.

On the specific tool, I am struck nobody asked the obvious question - why? Specifically, if this can't do something bustimes.org does already, then why even bother? Unless of course, it's just a hobby project.

A true AI coding assistant would always ask as their first question, why are you embarking on this project? What does it do thet isn't possible already, and is that something people actually want? If it had been trained by a professional programmer that is. The ironies are multi-layered.

 

[James H]

Bustimes has the data but isn’t optimised for ‘what’s happening at my nearest stop right now’ with dynamically refreshing data

 

[Magrar]

Bustimes has the data but isn’t optimised for ‘what’s happening at my nearest stop right now’ with dynamically refreshing data

And is that a useful tool? I've got all my usual stops bookmarked, and it's hardly a chore (and actually beneficial for those on limited data plans) to only get an update if you hit refresh (although obv. the map itself does dynamically update).

 

[James H]

Yes, that is useful. And the beauty of today’s technology means OP can build something that meets their needs and share it with others who may likewise find it helpful. But if it’s not useful to you, that’s fine too.

 

[jupiter]

Some harsh replies in this thread.

On a specific issue, in Poole the 60 runs towards the chain ferry and then back again towards Poole. These are separate services.

There are a pair of stops near Shore Road on either side of the road, one for the ferry direction, and one for the Poole direction.

The service is operated by Morebus, and their app calls the stops Shore Road (opp) and Shore Road (S-bound) for the Poole and ferry services respectively.

I appreciate you can only use data provided nationally, but would find it difficult to believe this is the only location that has this problem. Searching for Shore Road only gives Shore Road (opp) and withouth the (opp) suffix.

Anyway, thought this might be useful..

 

[SalopBuses]

Vibe coding is just another tool to help people achieve something they otherwise wouldn't be able to do without significant time in learning how to code by hand.

It fills a function, but you'll always get haters as it's not "pure", similar to how people hated Visual Basic when that wrote your code for you. Or when DreamWeaver meant you could build a website like writing a Word document instead of knowing HTML.

If it works, that's all that will matter for 90% of the world. This web app is something that wasn't there before but now is, that's a benefit.

Vibe coded apps however steal code from actual programmer's, same with AI generated art, which as an artist myself is why I refuse to use AI generated websites and refuse to associate with any product, event or business which uses generative AI, if I see an event and the poster is AI I will not go and tell everyone else I know not to go and tell them to tell everyone they know, using generative AI negatively harms your user base of your website and for events and businesses etc drives people away from the event or business
So yeah I may be harsh but i would actually love to see OP code it themself and learn and make what is a great concept into a great product that is completely human made.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Aug 2026 ==

Vibe coded apps however steal code from actual programmer's, same with AI generated art, which as an artist myself is why I refuse to use AI generated websites and refuse to associate with any product, event or business which uses generative AI, if I see an event and the poster is AI I will not go and tell everyone else I know not to go and tell them to tell everyone they know, using generative AI negatively harms your user base of your website and for events and businesses etc drives people away from the event or business
So yeah I may be harsh but i would actually love to see OP code it themself and learn and make what is a great concept into a great product that is completely human made.

If anyone is wondering how I know this is vibecoded, most vibecoded apps have the same look, but obviously it is a style choice not the best indicator however on my tablet atleast it does not fill the screen, which is an issue with every vibecoded app ever.

 

[Farigiraf]

Vibe coded apps however steal code from actual programmer's, same with AI generated art, which as an artist myself is why I refuse to use AI generated websites and refuse to associate with any product, event or business which uses generative AI, if I see an event and the poster is AI I will not go and tell everyone else I know not to go and tell them to tell everyone they know, using generative AI negatively harms your user base of your website and for events and businesses etc drives people away from the event or business
So yeah I may be harsh but i would actually love to see OP code it themself and learn and make what is a great concept into a great product that is completely human made.

To add on to this, the excessive use of AI to churn out content that would otherwise be something creatively made by a human is normalising the death of creativity. Coding can be a menial task, but vibe coded sites aren't sites where the AI just does the boring bits, it also does the design (e.g. the UI and even sometimes AI-gen 'images') which isn't something that we should get used to delegating to something which doesn't put any deep thought or 'soul' into a creative task. E.g. stopboard is great at what it's intended for, but it's a 100% utilitarian tool where at no point while using it do I get the sense that a real person put time and effort into this, which makes it devoid of any character - something that we only realise we value when it's no longer commonplace.

It may seem like an easy win now to save a bit of time and vibe code a project or AI gen instead of hand-make promotional material for your content, but when it's too easy to do and freely available, there's nothing stopping everyone doing it, at which point the world (and internet) will be very bland and soulless. Even if you ignore the valid points about plagiarism, there just won't be a world where vibe-coded material won't all feel the same, which for me makes it an unviable alternative to the human mind. Can you imagine towns littered with AI-generated adverts and signs everywhere? I've been to one recently, Hunstanton, and it's really dystopian - even the food pictures on the restaurant entrances are AI generated!

 

[SalopBuses]

To add on to this, the excessive use of AI to churn out content that would otherwise be something creatively made by a human is normalising the death of creativity. Coding can be a menial task, but vibe coded sites aren't sites where the AI just does the boring bits, it also does the design (e.g. the UI and even sometimes AI-gen 'images') which isn't something that we should get used to delegating to something which doesn't put any deep thought or 'soul' into a creative task. E.g. stopboard is great at what it's intended for, but it's a 100% utilitarian tool where at no point while using it do I get the sense that a real person put time and effort into this, which makes it devoid of any character - something that we only realise we value when it's no longer commonplace.

It may seem like an easy win now to save a bit of time and vibe code a project or AI gen instead of hand-make promotional material for your content, but when it's too easy to do and freely available, there's nothing stopping everyone doing it, at which point the world (and internet) will be very bland and soulless. Even if you ignore the valid points about plagiarism, there just won't be a world where vibe-coded material won't all feel the same, which for me makes it an unviable alternative to the human mind. Can you imagine towns littered with AI-generated adverts and signs everywhere? I've been to one recently, Hunstanton, and it's really dystopian - even the food pictures on the restaurant entrances are AI generated!

I know this is off topic but yep in my town as well AI generated posters everywhere, I will avoid the business, your best bet is tell these businesses and events not to use AI and if they continue to use AI do not give them any business.

 

[riceuten]

I don't know what other commitments the OP has, but it's quite possible that they have other priorities. Your criticism is rather harsh.

To say that it's "every bus stop live in England", when it is not, that's not harsh criticism, that's the truth. Bustimes and Google manage it for my locale, he does not. If he claims partial coverage, fine

 

[BuhSnarf]

Vibe coded apps however steal code from actual programmer's, same with AI generated art, which as an artist myself is why I refuse to use AI generated websites and refuse to associate with any product, event or business which uses generative AI, if I see an event and the poster is AI I will not go and tell everyone else I know not to go and tell them to tell everyone they know, using generative AI negatively harms your user base of your website and for events and businesses etc drives people away from the event.

You're naive if you think you are avoiding every business that uses generative AI.

I would argue that any medium to large size business is using generative AI. I work for a multi national and whilst you wouldn't know as a customer we're using it, we're much much much bigger users of it for things much bigger than a small poster.

I volunteer at a local club and they've started using AI generated posters as it allows them to get quick posters and whilst you may get the odd whinger we've actually found increased attendance because people have seen them - so horses for courses.

If a small club wants to use it to make a half decent poster so be it. They were never going to hire a graphic designer and so their poster will look the same as all the other small club posters, like they did when all club posters were templated Word posters with free clip art and too much use of Comic Sans.

 

[jupiter]

Regarding the website itself, I used it in anger yesterday afternoon. I think the search needs to be a bit more flexible. I catch a bus to the beach several times a week from the same stop but realised I don’t know it’s precise name. Perhaps stops local to the user or map centre if location is unavailable, could be highlighted on the map?

 

[SalopBuses]

You're naive if you think you are avoiding every business that uses generative AI.

I would argue that any medium to large size business is using generative AI. I work for a multi national and whilst you wouldn't know as a customer we're using it, we're much much much bigger users of it for things much bigger than a small poster.

I volunteer at a local club and they've started using AI generated posters as it allows them to get quick posters and whilst you may get the odd whinger we've actually found increased attendance because people have seen them - so horses for courses.

If a small club wants to use it to make a half decent poster so be it. They were never going to hire a graphic designer and so their poster will look the same as all the other small club posters, like they did when all club posters were templated Word posters with free clip art and too much use of Comic Sans.

There is large environmental impacts to using generative AI which I do not agree with, you are correct in saying it's virtually impossible to avoid businesses using AI, however if they are using it for posters or other things I can publicly see them I will avoid, same with clubs I will not attend, I would much rather see people use a Canva template (yes Canva has AI but the templates are not AI), or something in Word, entices me alot more as it has soul unlike AI feeding off actual artists, etc.

 

[BuhSnarf]

There is large environmental impacts to using generative AI which I do not agree with, you are correct in saying it's virtually impossible to avoid businesses using AI, however if they are using it for posters or other things I can publicly see them I will avoid, same with clubs I will not attend, I would much rather see people use a Canva template (yes Canva has AI but the templates are not AI), or something in Word, entices me alot more as it has soul unlike AI feeding off actual artists, etc.

The issue with this is that quite often hand made posters made through Canvas / other desktop based tools can often be mistaken for being AI. I've had people state before things I've made are AI even when they're not! Conversely, I've had AI generated content that has been applauded for being original!

 

[snail]

You're naive if you think you are avoiding every business that uses generative AI.

I would argue that any medium to large size business is using generative AI. I work for a multi national and whilst you wouldn't know as a customer we're using it, we're much much much bigger users of it for things much bigger than a small poster.

Back in the days before AI was a thing I wrote insurance policies. The starting point was usually to get hold of other companies' wordings for ideas. Not so different to asking an AI model to do it.

 

[pr1]

I know that feedback and criticism is required and necessary, but for me, bustimes can be very clunky and stop-start, so any alternative is worth trying. I see any alternatives or amateur hobby versions as welcome to at least try (look at RTT verses Tracksy, or for that matter, those who choose Tiger feed over RTT because the choice is there.)

I'll certainty give this version a go.

 

[Deerfold]

Don't use it, then! Simples

That's what he's just said he's doing.

Personally I try and avoid encouraging people to use AI - as well as massive environmental effects, they're causing massive increases in the prices of memory and storage devices as they use vast numbers of them, making it harder for those on modest incomes to afford decent computers.

I did have a quick look. On a computer it uses very little of the screen, with (mostly) much smaller text than other apps. Near the top of the screen there's four stops listed - it's not clear why, though I can click on "show less" to only show 2 of them. It doesn't seem to filter out or mark closed door services.

It's showing my next bus as 5 minutes later than the usual (pretty accurate) system I use. It's then highlighting a bus that other systems show as the 5th bus due. All other buses it's showing the scheduled tome for, though they're almost all tracking on other websites.

 

[BuhSnarf]

Personally I try and avoid encouraging people to use AI - as well as massive environmental effects, they're causing massive increases in the prices of memory and storage devices as they use vast numbers of them, making it harder for those on modest incomes to afford decent computers.

It's driving up high end cards and storage. But unless you're looking to buy a really high end gaming PC you can absolutely still pick up decent computers for pennies as offices chuck out decent spec'd PCs. I regularly buy, refurbish and sell PCs to family / local people and you can very decent kit on the second hand market.

I got the computer I use to create my videos (editing 4k videos up to 30-40 minute in length) for less than £200.

Using AI to generate a poster every month is using hardly any compute power compared to some of the analysis I do through work on a multiple times a day basis and I imagine many other companies/research universities are doing day in/day out.

 

[Deerfold]

It's driving up high end cards and storage. But unless you're looking to buy a really high end gaming PC you can absolutely still pick up decent computers for pennies as offices chuck out decent spec'd PCs. I regularly buy, refurbish and sell PCs to family / local people and you can very decent kit on the second hand market.

I got the computer I use to create my videos (editing 4k videos up to 30-40 minute in length) for less than £200.

The price of entry-level computers is already increasing. I'm sure the price of second-hand ones will also increase as more people are priced out of buying new ones.

Storage and RAM are both getting more expensive after 50 years of both falling rapidly in price.

Using AI to generate a poster every month is using hardly any compute power compared to some of the analysis I do through work on a multiple times a day basis and I imagine many other companies/research universities are doing day in/day out.

I didn't mention posters, though I find many produced with AI to be unattractive.

 

[BuhSnarf]

The price of entry-level computers is already increasing. I'm sure the price of second-hand ones will also increase as more people are priced out of buying new ones.

Storage and RAM are both getting more expensive after 50 years of both falling rapidly in price.

I didn't mention posters, though I find many produced with AI to be unattractive.

Possibly, maybe, in the future, but if anything I've seen the prices of the second hand old Dell Optiplex/Elitedesk etc. office PCs much lower than previously bought for over the past couple of years. Mainly because after Covid there was an absolutely influx of office desktop machines emptied out of offices when most companies moved everyone to a laptop and docking station.

My comment about the posters was in response to those above stating they'll boycott places using AI generated posters to advertise an event. I agree, they're unattractive as they all generally look the same so it shows little thought has gone in to it. However, if you write a good enough prompt you can get some really decent stuff that doesn't look like everyone elses!