Question 1

How does ShadySide choose the shaded side?

Accepted Answer

ShadySide compares where the vehicle is travelling with where the sun should be during each part of the trip. A route moving east in the morning, west in the evening, or turning through several directions can expose different windows at different times. We use journey time, route shape, estimated sun position, and weather context to decide which side has lower expected sunlight exposure overall.

Question 2

Can I trust the seat recommendation 100%?

Accepted Answer

Use ShadySide as a practical comfort guide, not a guarantee. It factors in sun position, route direction, and weather context, but trees, buildings, window tint, detours, and seat layout can still change the result. Recalculate if your boarding time changes or you choose a different route.

Question 3

Why does it recommend night time when the sun is up?

Accepted Answer

During sunrise or sunset, the sun can be low enough to hit one side of a bus or train even when the trip feels close to night. ShadySide treats those edge cases carefully and keeps improving the model.

Question 4

Does ShadySide work for buses and trains?

Accepted Answer

Yes! ShadySide is designed for bus, train, and car journeys where route direction and time affect which side has less direct sunlight. We also support cycling and walking, though those are more experimental.

Question 5

What about flights?

Accepted Answer

Flight support is experimental. The sun position changes dramatically at altitude, and window seat recommendations depend heavily on flight path, time of day, and cloud cover. We're working on improving this.

Question 6

Where should I sit on a bus to avoid sunlight?

Accepted Answer

Choose the side ShadySide marks as having less direct sun for your route and departure time. There is no single permanent shade side for every bus, because the answer changes with direction, time of day, season, and turns along the route. Open ShadySide before boarding, enter the exact start and destination, select bus mode, and compare the recommendation.

Question 7

Is my location stored?

Accepted Answer

Nope. Your inputs are used only for calculating sun exposure. Nothing is saved, tracked, or sold. We don't store raw origin, destination, coordinates, IP addresses, or any personally identifiable information.

Question 8

What about the feedback I give?

Accepted Answer

Anonymous feedback (thumbs up/down) is stored to improve recommendations. No personal data is attached. We use a session cookie to prevent duplicate votes, but it contains no personal information.

Question 9

Are my saved routes private?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Saved routes are stored only on your device using localStorage. They never leave your browser and are not sent to our servers.

Question 10

How can I report a bug or give feedback?

Accepted Answer

Use the thumbs up/down feedback buttons after each recommendation, or visit our contact page to send us a message. We read every piece of feedback!

Question 11

The recommendation was wrong — what should I do?

Accepted Answer

Tap the thumbs down button and let us know what felt off. Your feedback helps us improve the algorithm. Common issues include unexpected route changes, weather shifts, or trees/buildings blocking the sun.

Question 12

Is ShadySide free to use?

Accepted Answer

Yes! ShadySide is completely free. No sign-up required, no premium tiers, no hidden costs. We're focused on making sun-safe travel accessible to everyone.

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