Metrobus Panama

Buena día,
sorry for writing in english, but i know only few words in spanish.

During my 5 nights / 4 days in Panama City, i recorded GPX traces for few Metrobus routes, some of them too short or without description, but result is 9 relations in Openstreetmap. Apart from Albrook - Amador and Albrook - Esclusas de Miraflores route, all others are incomplete, covering only few routes from Albrook to El Carmen/Betania area.

Mibus have almost all routes on own website, but it is realy not user friendly and I am pretty sure it is also incomplete and outdated. I created at least one relation I can’t find on their website. You can also compare this name deducted from bus with name on Mibus website (though my name is maybe missing Estación La Cabima, I am realy not sure about this).

I was able to add few more bus stops and i will try to add some more comparing bus speeds from gpx and Bing imagery and memory (i am pretty sure about IDAAN and Policia Nacional positions). But right now, I am almost done. I will leave Metrobus network in Panama in this early Alpha state; we need some Panama City resident’s to make it better and useful. Somebody, who knows the city, is wiling to spend $0.25 for one ride, collecting gps traces and editing it all at home. And also create all that new roads for these routes.
Metrobus in Panama
source: ÖPNVKarte;; Map data © by Openstreetmap contributors licenced under ODbL 1.0. This map is available under CC-BY-SA licence (© by MeMoMaps). Website design: Raffael Görich

Here is list of all routes:
Albrook – Esclusas de Miraflores (complete)
Albrook - Amador (complete)
Gran Estacion - Via España - Albrook
Tocumen - Via España - Albrook
Alcalde Díaz - Via España - Albrook - Directo (to Alcalde Díaz)
Alcalde Díaz - Via España - Albrook - Directo (to Albrook)
Alcalde Díaz - Via España - Estacion Marañón
Panamá Viejo - Ave. Balboa - Mercado de Mariscos
Los Andes - Via España - Albrook

There is a lot of work to do (but I am unable anymore from my chair in Slovakia):

  • Create platform_exit_only and stop_exit_only for Albrook. No idea where, because for each arrival to Albrook, drivers stopped always on different place
  • All platforms for Albrook and Estacion Marañón
  • Stops and routes to/from Aeropuerto (Tocumen)
  • Check routes after opening new metro; they are already different if you compare some of my routes with Mibus pdf’s (at least in Calidonia)
  • brainstorm about tags used by me to describe relations
  • and more

PS: you can also read my Panama: travel2osm, almost done! user diary.

Hi Lubos,

Thanks for the traces. I am willing to add more stops and routes of panamá MiBus. As you describe MiBus web is a f**ng sht and the pdfs of the could have been done by a monkey in a more user friendly way… anyway… they’re learning…

One naive question, I’m pretty new to osm, so what tools/apps did you use for recording the gpx routes?

Thanks Juan.

Hi Merlos,

I am on Android, so I am using OsmAnd app. Its GUI is somewhat crazy and it will take some time to learn, where each function is, but is is probably best app OSM for Android.
If you are on Apple device, take a look on this wiki page. I can’t recommend you any of them, just test or ask in Questions and Answers.

When you record GPX, you can work with them offline (not sure about in browser iD editor, but in JOSM editor you can open gpx in background without upoading track anywhere) or upload them to OSM so others can work with them too. This is also good idea, because satelite imagery offset, so we can use them to align imagery where it shoul be according to GPX.
BTW, if you upload traces to OSM, sometime it is good to remove parts of track like those close to your home or work beacuse of privacy, you can use GpsPrune for this.

Also I already updated Albrook – Esclusas de Miraflores relation with your bus_stop’s (though there should be also stop_position node on a way).

Thanks for the information.