London Transport is a new free Connect IQ app for Garmin watches that focuses on one thing, London buses. It uses your current location to show nearby stops, routes served and live arrival times directly on your wrist.
The app pulls in real time data from Transport for London and presents it on the small screen. Not all bus stops have a live countdown board. So if you move around London regularly and already wear a Garmin, this is the kind of utility app that might be very useful.
What the app shows at a glance
Open London Transport and the first thing you see is a list of nearby bus stops sorted by distance. Each stop shows how far away it is and which routes serve it. Tap into a stop and you get live arrival times for upcoming buses, updated through your phone’s data connection.
It keeps things simple. You are not scrolling through endless menus or trying to decode tiny icons. The focus stays on the information you need to decide whether to walk or wait.
There is also a favourites option. Once you mark a stop, it appears automatically when you are nearby. For anyone with a regular commute or a familiar set of routes, this saves time and avoids digging through the full list every day.
Using maps on the watch
One of the nicer touches is how the app works with Garmin’s built in maps. You can choose to view a bus stop or route directly on the map, which makes it easier to get your bearings if you are in an unfamiliar area or cutting through back streets.
This works particularly well on watches with larger displays and proper mapping support. You are not getting turn by turn navigation, but you do get enough spatial context to know which side of the road you should be on and how far you still have to walk.
If you are in a hurry, the app can also fall back on your last known location. That means you do not have to wait for a fresh GPS lock just to check a bus time, which feels like a small but practical decision.
Who this is really for
London Transport makes the most sense for everyday commuters and frequent visitors who already rely on Garmin watches for daily wear. Think of it as a glanceable companion rather than a full transport planner.
It is also very much about convenience. Pulling out a phone works, but it is slower and more distracting. Being able to flick your wrist, check whether a bus is two minutes away and decide what to do next fits neatly into how smartwatches are meant to be used.
The app depends on an active Bluetooth connection and your phone’s internet access for live data. If your phone is not nearby or has no signal, arrival times will not update. That is a limitation of how Connect IQ apps work rather than a flaw specific to this app.
Data comes from Transport for London’s public feeds, which are generally reliable but can still lag during disruptions. In practice, that is no different from using TfL data inside other apps.
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