My Bus Helper: MTD · Android

Privacy policy

Last updated September 10, 2026

West Fourth Labs provides My Bus Helper: MTD, an independent app for Champaign-Urbana bus information. This policy describes the Android app. The app does not require an account.

Location and transit information

If you allow location access, the app uses your device’s approximate or precise location to order nearby stops. Location updates run while the nearby stops screen is visible. You can decline access and still browse, search, and save stops. The app does not request background location permission or keep a history of your movements.

Stop and departure requests are sent to the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD). Those requests identify the stop, vehicle, or route you are viewing. Like other internet services, MTD receives network information such as your IP address.

Stop and bus maps use Google Maps. Trip Planner displays MTD’s website inside the app. Information you enter in that planner, including origins and destinations, is handled by MTD and the services it uses. Embedded websites may use cookies and browser storage.

Saved information

Favorites, app preferences, onboarding completion, usage counts for review prompts, and downloaded stop data are stored on your device. The planner can retain its page and entries while you switch tabs. Device backup and restore may preserve app data according to your Android settings.

Advertising

The app uses Google AdMob to display ads. Google’s advertising SDK can process IP addresses, device or advertising identifiers, app interactions, and diagnostic information for advertising, measurement, and fraud prevention. IP addresses may be used to estimate a general location. Where applicable, the app presents Google’s consent choices before requesting ads. You can revisit available choices under More → Ad Privacy Options.

See Google’s advertising information and AdMob’s data disclosure.

Analytics and crash reports

The app uses Google Analytics for Firebase and Firebase Crashlytics to understand app use and diagnose failures. These services process information such as app events, device and app versions, installation identifiers, and crash diagnostics. App diagnostic events describe screen names and failure categories; we do not intentionally attach your coordinates, trip-planner entries, or API request URLs to those events.

See Firebase’s privacy and retention information and Google’s privacy policy for details about these services.

Support and your choices

If you contact us by email, we receive your email address and the information you choose to send, and use it to respond and investigate your request. Please avoid sending sensitive information that is not needed for support.

You can change location permission in Android Settings, manage advertising choices through the app and your device, remove favorites in the app, and clear local app data in Android Settings. Clearing data or uninstalling does not itself delete information already processed by third-party services. Their retention and deletion practices are described in the policies linked above.

For privacy questions or requests concerning information you have provided to us, email hello@westfourthlabs.com. Describe your request without including unnecessary sensitive information.

Changes to this policy

We may update this page as the app and its services change. The date above identifies the latest revision.