A MOBILE phone app created by a Bournemouth man could take the mystery out of waiting for a bus.

Phillip Caudell, 23, created Transporter, an iPhone app that uses a phone’s location to tell the user what buses are due to stop nearby and where they are going.

He initially devised it to bring together bus times for Morebus and Yellow Buses service.

“It came about from frustration with getting the bus,” he said.

“There’s an app in London called Citymapper, but that doesn’t extend out of London.”

He came up with the idea three or four years ago and developed it after joining Hackbmth, the group which brings together the area’s creative and technical people and organises events called Hackday.

“I set up the idea but I couldn’t technically implement it,” he said.

“I want along to Hackday. I had already a rough proposal and spent the day fleshing it out a bit more.”

The app is also compatible with the Apple Watch.

“Just look at your wrist at a bus stop and it will tell you the next bus,” he said.

The idea has been nominated in the sustainability category of the TalkTalk Digital Heroes Awards, the results of which are due today. Winning would bring a £5,000 grant and the opportunity to visit the House of Commons to talk about transport policy.

Phil, who works for Westbourne-based app developer 3 Sided Cube, says the £5,000 prize would enable him to offer the app for free. It currently costs £2.99.

He also hopes to develop a version for the Android operating system.

“It’s not going to make me a millionaire but I wanted it and no one else was doing it. That was how it came about,” he said.

Phil hopes the technology already fitted to some buses will enable the app to deliver real-time information – so the software could ultimately alert the user at home when they need to leave for the bus.

“Equipping people to use the bus is a good thing and I think it helps everyone,” he said.