Tango Blue — tango.blue
The Buenos Aires map
Kotaro Asahina, who publishes KUON GEO, also publishes a second map: public transport in Buenos Aires and places to see across Argentina, on one screen. It runs in a browser, with nothing to install and no account.
What the map does
| Layer | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Live buses | Every city bus, refreshed every 25 seconds. Over 5,000 vehicles are typically moving at once |
| Bus stops | 6,962 stops. Tap one for the routes serving it and the minutes to the next bus |
| Nearest stops | The six closest stops within 900 m of where you are |
| Journey planning | Set a start and an end and it names the bus to take, alongside walking, cycling and driving. One change is searched if there is no direct route |
| Subte | Six lines, 90 stations, official colours |
| Safety | Crime data published by the city, shaded by area |
| Historic map | 84 events from Argentine history, placed where they happened and coloured by era |
| Historic cafés | The 83 cafés protected by the city |
| Also | Ecobici bike share, 62 sights, live cameras, rain radar, 3D terrain, public hospitals, Mendoza wineries |
Sources: Buenos Aires city open data, the Argentine Ministry of Transport API Transporte, and OpenStreetMap.
How to use it
- Open the map. There is no app.
- Pick layers from the list. Stack only what you need.
- Turn on bus stops and tap one. It shows the routes serving that stop and the minutes to the next bus, so the route number is not needed.
- Turn on the location layer for the six nearest stops. Location is used only when that layer is on.
- Set a start and an end point on the map to get the bus to take and the walking legs.
Three things to know about the bus
There are 138 routes and the same number branches to different destinations, so a route map alone is hard to follow. The system itself is simple.
First, you cannot pay cash. You need a SUBE card, sold at Subte ticket windows, kiosks with the SUBE sticker and airport counters. Foreigners can use one without registering.
Second, buses do not stop unless you signal. Put your arm out when you see yours. This is the mistake visitors make most.
Third, tell the driver your destination before tapping, because the fare depends on distance. Press the button before your stop.
Why this sits alongside KUON GEO
Both maps handle the same thing: position, time, and where the observation came from. A list of base stations and the live position of a bus are built the same way, by taking published observations unaltered and keeping anything derived in a separate layer.
The 122 m height offset in the Tokachi logs was only findable because the raw record had been kept as it was. Rewrite the original and there is nothing left to check against.