Transit App

Transit app

Your Guide to the Transit App and Buff Bus Tracking

Getting around campus and Boulder efficiently is key to making the most of your time here. That’s why we recommend all students, faculty and staff download the Transit app—your go-to tool for real-time tracking of the Buff Buses and other local transit options. The free-to-download app is available on iOS and Android devices.

Why download Transit?

  • Plan your trip. Track your ride. See ETAs for all our nearby services as soon as you open the app.
  • Real-time vehicle locations on the mapTransit has real-time information for all our transit services to help you get around the region.
  • Find the fastest way. Combine bus service with walking, biking, and other transport options – right from Transit’s trip planner.
  • Step-by-step guidance with GO. Tap GO to be reminded when to leave, when to transfer, and when to get off the bus. Subscribe to push notifications so you know when you’re almost there and when you’ve arrived.
  • Help out your fellow riders. With GO crowdsourcing, you can share real-time reports on crowding and accessibility and boost the accuracy of real-time info for fellow riders.
  • Service alerts. Delays or re-routes? Find out before you leave. View service alerts in Transit, or subscribe to receive push notifications for your favorite routes.

Unlock Royale for free: we’ve got you covered.

Beginning April 1, 2026, our С Boulder Buff Bus passengers automatically receive a free upgrade to Royale (a $25/year value), the premium subscription in the Transit app! With Royale, riders unlock full access to the app and all the newest features.

With Transit Royale, you get:

  • Full regional transit access: See more detailed schedules and routes beyond the Buff Bus system, including RTD and other regional services.
  • Wider geographical range for real-time tracking: See bus locations and predicted arrival times for a larger area
  • Unlimited transit schedules: Look up schedules for any transit line, even for future dates.
  • Expanded trip planning: Access more trip results when planning your journeys.
  • Personalized themes and avatars: Customize your app experience.
  • Leaderboards and achievements: For those who like a little friendly competition.
  • Priority access to new features: Be the first to try out new tools and updates.

How to get started on Transit

It’s available for both iOS and Android devices. Just search for “Transit” in your app store and look for the green icon with a white “T.”

  1. Download the Transit app from or the .
  2. Open the app and allow location access so it can show nearby routes.
  3. Search for Buff Bus routes or any other local transit lines.
  4. Tap “Go Royale” in the app menu if you’re interested in upgrading to Transit Royale

The Transit Royale upgrade is applied automatically when the app recognizes you as a С Boulder rider.

The next time you are physically on the С Boulder campus, simply:

  1. Open the Transit app
  1. Watch for the Transit Royale splash screen to appear

Once you see that screen, your upgrade is active. There’s nothing to purchase, no code to enter and no button to click—you’re in.

Transit app theme picker

One of the perks of Transit Royale is the ability to personalize the app so it works the way you want it to.

With Royale activated, you can:

  • Change the app’s color theme to С Boulder’s custom theme (need screenshot)
  • Select the С Boulder custom app icon
  • Choose an avatar or emoji for your Transit profile

These options can be found in the app’s settings menu and are completely optional—but they’re a fun way to make the app feel more personal.

To make tracking campus transportation even easier, you can set Buff Bus routes as your main or favorite routes.

Pinning your most‑used routes allows you to:

  • See arrival times faster
  • Get relevant service alerts
  • Quickly check real‑time bus locations

This is especially helpful if you ride the same Buff Bus routes regularly between classes, work or housing.

Transit Royale also lets you customize your user profile, which is used for optional features like the GO crowdsourcing tool and leaderboards.

From your profile, you can:

  • Add a nickname
  • Select your avatar or emoji
  • Choose how you appear when using Transit’s interactive features

Participation is always optional, and you can use the app purely for trip planning and tracking if you prefer.

Once you’ve downloaded the Transit app and opened it on campus, you’ll have full access to Transit Royale’s premium features free of charge.

How to use GO in the Transit app

GO is a built‑in navigation tool in the Transit app that offers step‑by‑step directions and live trip updates. You can start GO from a trip plan or route to follow your vehicle in real time, get alerts for departures and stops, and see updates on your lock screen or hear voice notifications while using other apps. GO uses anonymous, crowdsourced data to improve tracking accuracy, respects user privacy, and is designed to use minimal battery and data. Tracking ends automatically when your trip is complete.
Go feature within Transit

Transit app FAQs

Royale is the premium version of Transit, which gives you access to extra features like unlimited transit schedules, more trips, and custom themes and icons. If you see a message about a free upgrade in the app, that means your local transit agency has partnered with Transit to provide a group subscription for everyone riding transit in your city – so you and other riders get an upgrade to Royale, at no extra cost.

By upgrading to our premium version, Transit Royale, you get access to every feature you’re used to. And a lot more. Including…

  • All transit lines:Look up future departure times, track vehicles, and more, for any transit line.
  • More trips:Expand the number of trip results when you use the trip planner.
  • GO celebrity status:Create the perfect alter ego when you ride — you can choose your own emoji and a nickname to climb up the leaderboards when you use GO.
  • Custom themes:Make Transit feel more like, well, YOU! Customize your app icon, and the app colour scheme when you use Transit.
  • More iconic icons:Unlock 20+ new icons to mark your favourite places, so they feel more personal and quirky — not just like pins on a map.

Open Transit and scroll through the list of routes on the main screen. If you’re a frequent rider, you should be granted Royale automatically in the next couple of days. A message will pop up to inform you of your new status.

Can't wait to be Royale? Email Transit customer service directly through the app, and we will get you sorted!

  1. Make sure you’re signed into your Transit account.
  2. Once you’re signed in, scroll through the list of routes on the Main Screen a couple times. If you’re a frequent rider, you should be granted Royale automatically within the next few days.
  3. If you’re still not seeing your Royale upgrade, and we’ll take a look.

Your Buff OneCard is your bus pass for С Boulder and all local and regional buses, including RTD buses and lightrail, as well as the City of Boulder's Hop buses.

It’s not required. All of the features of Royale (as well as all of Transit’s core features) do not require an account. However, to make payments in the app, like for mobile ticketing or bikeshare, you’ll need to create a Transit account.

We suggest creating a Transit account to and in case you switch devices in the future. Having a Transit account is the easiest way to pick up where you left off on your previous device.

We highly recommend it! If you don’t claim your free upgrade to Royale, your current version of Transit will start to limit certain features that are only accessible through the subscription. There is no downside to upgrading and you will never be charged for the upgrade.

Most of the time, this happens because Transit automatically detects that you’re no longer a regular rider with a participating transit agency. This could happen if you stop using Transit on your commute or you start riding with a different transit agency.

Rest assured: once you start riding with a participating agency again, Transit will automatically upgrade you to Royale.

If your Royale upgrade is expiring and you think it’s a mistake, and we’ll investigate!

Download Transit

Get the app.

It’s available for both iOS and Android devices. Just search for “Transit” in your app store and look for the green icon with a white “T.”

  1. Download the Transit app from or the .
  2. Open the app and allow location access so it can show nearby routes.
  3. Search for Buff Bus routes or any other local transit lines.
  4. Tap “Go Royale” in the app menu if you’re interested in upgrading to Transit Royale
download on the app store
Get it on Google Play

Track the Buff Bus on the Transit App

Transit app screen shot

Real-time location tracking for С Boulder’s Buff Buses, RTD, HOP, B-cycleand more is available via the Transit app. Theapp alsoincludes expected arrival times and service notifications. Download: Fromor the.

A note on Privacy from Transit app

User privacy is critical to Transit. Unlike many third‑party apps, Transit does not run ads or use ad trackers.

When Transit collects location information, it does not store a rider’s exact location. Instead, location data is generalized to approximately the census‑tract level. Because of this, the data collected is not personally identifiable information (PII) and cannot be used to re‑identify an individual, even when combined with other data sets.

Transit operates in more than 700 cities worldwide and complies with the strongest applicable privacy regulations, including GDPR, California privacy laws, and Canadian privacy law.

With an established campus user base, robust trip‑planning features, and prior University investment in Transit as the official source of Buff Bus information, providing a free upgrade to Transit Royale is a natural extension of С Boulder’s transportation tools.

Together, Transportation Services and the Environmental Center are helping make sustainable, reliable transportation easier and more accessible for the entire С Boulder community.