Method and limits. These figures are aggregates from BoardSpy commute_traffic_samples: live Google Maps–backed duration minus free-flow duration on each user’s saved home↔office route, sampled near their configured leave windows. No individual routes, addresses, or accounts are published. The network includes US and international corridors where BoardSpy users save routes — results are descriptive of this product network, not a census of every metro. Thresholds below use delay minutes (traffic duration minus free-flow), not total trip length.
How often a leave-earlier decision shows up
In the 90-day window (2 Jul 2026 – 30 Sep 2026):
- 9,915 route checks across 719 routes and 717 accounts
- Median delay: 0.9 minutes (most checks are quiet)
- 75th percentile: 5.4 minutes
- 90th percentile: 11.1 minutes
- 26.8% of checks ≥ 5 minutes of delay
- 12.4% ≥ 10 minutes
- 4.4% ≥ 15 minutes
Mean delay was 3.6 minutes — pulled up by the long tail. The practical product question is not “is traffic always bad?” It is “how often should I leave earlier than my habit?” Roughly one in eight BoardSpy checks in this window crossed a 10-minute delay bar.
Evening is where leave-time alerts earn their keep
| Direction | Checks | Avg delay | % ≥ 10 min delay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning (home → work) | 5,076 | 1.5 min | 2.9% |
| Evening (work → home) | 4,839 | 5.7 min | 22.4% |
Evening runs hit a 10-minute delay about seven times as often as morning runs in this sample. A schedule-aware alert on the drive home is not a nice-to-have — it is where the network sees the most “leave earlier / wait” decisions.
What BoardSpy actually sent
In the same 90 days, BoardSpy delivered 3,246 sent traffic_alert notifications to 527 distinct users (push or email), plus 5,953 sent route_clear notices. Alerts fire only when a user’s configured delay threshold is crossed near their leave window — so alert counts are lower than raw sample counts by design.
Why this is leave-time, not navigation
Navigation apps excel after you are driving. These numbers measure the decision before departure: whether today’s live delay on a saved route is large enough to shift leave time. BoardSpy is a leave-time commute alert app for iPhone and Android. It tells you when to leave. It is not turn-by-turn navigation — keep Google Maps or Waze for the drive. Product hub: boardspy.site/apps/. Category context: best app to avoid traffic and best commute alert apps for iOS.
Frequently asked questions
How often do BoardSpy route checks show a 10+ minute delay?
In the 90 days ending 30 Sep 2026, 12.4% of 9,915 anonymized checks showed live delay of 10 minutes or more versus free-flow on the saved route.
Are evening commutes worse than morning in BoardSpy’s sample?
Yes. Evening checks averaged 5.7 minutes of delay with 22.4% at or above 10 minutes, versus 1.5 minutes and 2.9% for morning checks.
Is BoardSpy a navigation or GPS app?
No. BoardSpy is a leave-time commute alert app. It watches your saved route before departure and pushes when delay crosses your threshold. Use Maps or Waze for turn-by-turn once you are driving.
Can these numbers be used as city-wide traffic statistics?
No. They describe BoardSpy’s opted-in saved-route network only. They are useful for understanding how often a leave-earlier decision appears for people who already configured a commute — not for ranking metros or claiming city averages.
References
- BoardSpy data sources — how route traffic checks are sourced and what the product does not claim.
- How BoardSpy route alerts work — schedule-aware pre-departure alerts vs navigation.
- Google Maps Platform Routes API — live and typical traffic duration used by BoardSpy route checks.
- Best app to avoid traffic — why timing before departure beats reactive re-routing.