ATL Bus Sonifier

ATL Bus Sonifier

Completed: Spring 2026

Client: Self

Scope of Work: Web Application Development & Design

A generative music system powered by Atlanta's real-time transit network. Every sound you hear corresponds to a real bus or train stopping at a real stop — not a simulation, not a loop, but a live translation of the city in motion.

The app pulls vehicle position data from ATLrides every 20 seconds, covering MARTA buses and rail, Xpress, CobbLinc, Gwinnett County Transit, and ConnectDouglas. When a vehicle reports that it's stopped at a stop — doors open, someone getting on or off — a note plays. The pitch is derived from the stop's geographic position. The color of the dot tells you which agency. The size tells you how fast the bus was moving.

Over time, the map draws itself. Routes emerge not from a database of shapes but from the actual paths vehicles traveled today. The longer you listen, the more Atlanta reveals itself.

Built as a single HTML file with no dependencies beyond Leaflet for the map layer and the Web Audio API for sound. The rhythm bed runs continuously at a tempo you control; arrival notes land on the beat grid so even chaotic rush-hour data feels musical. An admin panel lets you assign different sonic roles to each transit agency and upload your own samples.