Methods, including service methods, articles of manufacture, systems, articles and programmable devices provide personalized, real-time travel information to a passenger of a transit system. A passenger provides a destination input to a programmable personal digital assistant, which establishes wireless communication with a wireless broadcast system of a transit system and uploads current routing and scheduling information, processing and presenting information to the passenger as a function of destination and passenger preference. The personal digital assistant also selects and wirelessly locates and communicates directly with the identified transport, alerts the passenger of a recommended boarding opportunity, recognizes a boarding by the passenger, confirms that a boarded transport is the recommended transport, and communicates a disembark alert to if the boarded transport is not the recommended transport or upon an arrival at a destination, the alert configured pursuant to the passenger preference.