GTT said the tram was coming. So I built something else.
How 9 hours of coding and GTFS open data solved a daily frustration at Turin's tram stops.
The Problem
People in Turin wait for tram 4 or 16 never knowing if the tram is 2 minutes away or delayed at the terminus. Electronic stop signs are frequently broken.
Baseline
150MB bloated app, mandatory account login, 12 seconds to open the transit map, invasive ad banners.
Hypothesis
A 40KB browser app with SQLite and streaming GTFS feeds loads in 400ms and shows only what matters: nearest stop, real arrival, clean map.
Practical Intervention
Built a lightweight Node.js/Express service with SQLite routing and instant browser geolocation distance sorting.
Measurement & Outcome
How it was measured: Time to first byte, mobile 4G interaction speed, daily personal use.
Live and functional at sovoque.com/torino/gtt/. Loads in under half a second with no App Store download required.
What Failed
GTT's realtime feeds occasionally drop GPS packets for 30s. Handled with graceful fallback to estimated timetable with an explicit reliability badge.
Practical Conclusion
The best urban technology isn't the one with the most bells and whistles; it's the one that tells you the truth before you lose patience at the stop.
Relevance to Your Business
Demonstrates how to turn messy raw data into fast, intuitive interfaces for customers or frontline staff.
FROM NOTES TO ACTION
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