🚌 BusTrace — Real-Time Bus Tracking Web Application

A modern real-time transit tracking platform built using Node.js, Express, MongoDB, Socket.IO, Tailwind CSS, and Mapbox.

Live Bus Tracking • Real-Time ETAs • OTP Login • Passenger Reviews • WebSockets • Map Visualization

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📌 Overview

BusTrace is a full-stack web application designed to simulate and manage a modern public transit tracking system.

The platform allows users to:

• Search buses between two stops
• Track buses in real time on a live map
• View live ETA calculations
• Monitor seat availability and crowd density
• Authenticate using OTP login
• Leave ratings and reviews for buses
• Receive real-time updates using WebSockets

The project combines:

• Real-time systems
• WebSocket communication
• Geolocation logic
• Route matching algorithms
• Interactive UI design
• Session-based authentication
• Map visualization

into a single cohesive transit platform.

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✨ Core Features

🚍 Real-Time Bus Tracking

• Live bus coordinates updated using Socket.IO
• Dynamic movement broadcasting
• Real-time passenger-side updates
• Simulated driver GPS updates

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📍 Interactive Map System

• Integrated Mapbox GL JS
• Dark-themed custom map styling
• Live bus markers
• Stop markers
• Popup information panels
• Zoom + navigation controls

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⏱ Live ETA Prediction

• ETA calculated dynamically using:
  • Haversine distance
  • Current bus coordinates
  • Route stop sequence
  • Simulated speed

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👥 Crowd Detection

Passenger density indicators:

Indicator	Meaning
🟢 Green	Comfortable
🟡 Yellow	Moderate Crowd
🔴 Red	Heavily Crowded

Crowd level automatically changes based on available seats.

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📱 OTP Authentication

• Phone-number-based login
• 6-digit OTP verification
• Session authentication
• No password required
• Demo mode support

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⭐ Passenger Reviews

Users can:

• Rate buses
• Add comments
• Add tags like:
  • Clean
  • Safe
  • Comfortable
  • Crowded
  • Punctual

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⚡ Real-Time WebSocket System

Using Socket.IO namespaces:

• Passenger clients receive updates
• Driver events broadcast new locations
• UI updates without page refresh

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🌙 Modern UI Design

• Fully dark-themed aesthetic
• Tailwind CSS styling
• Glassmorphism effects
• Neon accents
• Responsive layout
• Animated transitions

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🛠 Tech Stack

Backend

Technology	Purpose
Node.js	Runtime
Express.js	REST API Server
MongoDB	Database
Mongoose	ODM
Socket.IO	Real-time communication
express-session	Session authentication

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Frontend

Technology	Purpose
HTML5	Structure
Tailwind CSS	Styling
Vanilla JavaScript	Client-side logic
Socket.IO Client	Real-time updates
Mapbox GL JS	Maps & geolocation

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Algorithms & Logic

Logic System	Purpose
Haversine Formula	Coordinate distance calculation
Route Sequence Matching	Correct direction detection
ETA Prediction	Arrival estimation
Fare Calculation	Dynamic pricing
Crowd Classification	Seat-based occupancy analysis

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📂 Complete Folder Structure

bus-tracker/
│
├── server.js
│   └── Main application entry point
│
├── seed.js
│   └── Seeds MongoDB with demo buses and stops
│
├── package.json
│   └── Dependencies and npm scripts
│
├── package-lock.json
│
├── .env.example
│   └── Environment variable template
│
├── .env
│   └── Local environment configuration
│
├── README.md
│
├── config/
│   │
│   └── db.js
│       └── MongoDB connection logic
│
├── models/
│   │
│   ├── Bus.js
│   │   └── Bus schema and metadata
│   │
│   ├── Stop.js
│   │   └── Stop schema and route mapping
│   │
│   ├── User.js
│   │   └── User authentication schema
│   │
│   └── Review.js
│       └── Passenger review schema
│
├── controllers/
│   │
│   ├── authController.js
│   │   └── OTP send/verify logic
│   │
│   ├── busController.js
│   │   └── Bus CRUD + live updates
│   │
│   ├── routeController.js
│   │   └── Route searching logic
│   │
│   └── reviewController.js
│       └── Review create/fetch system
│
├── routes/
│   │
│   ├── authRoutes.js
│   │   └── Authentication endpoints
│   │
│   ├── busRoutes.js
│   │   └── Bus-related endpoints
│   │
│   ├── routeRoutes.js
│   │   └── Route endpoints
│   │
│   └── reviewRoutes.js
│       └── Review endpoints
│
├── services/
│   │
│   ├── otpService.js
│   │   └── OTP generation + storage
│   │
│   ├── routeService.js
│   │   └── Route matching engine
│   │
│   ├── etaService.js
│   │   └── ETA calculations
│   │
│   └── fareService.js
│       └── Dynamic fare pricing
│
├── middleware/
│   │
│   ├── authMiddleware.js
│   │   └── Session protection middleware
│   │
│   └── errorHandler.js
│       └── Global error handler
│
├── sockets/
│   │
│   └── busSocket.js
│       └── Real-time Socket.IO events
│
├── utils/
│   │
│   ├── distance.js
│   │   └── Haversine distance utility
│   │
│   └── validators.js
│       └── Validation helper functions
│
├── data/
│   │
│   ├── buses.json
│   │   └── Demo bus dataset
│   │
│   └── stops.json
│       └── Demo stop dataset
│
└── public/
    │
    ├── index.html
    │   └── Main frontend UI
    │
    └── app.js
        └── Frontend application logic