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ShadeRoute Β· Guide

Walk β€” and ride β€” on the cool side.

ShadeRoute reads the sun's exact position in the sky, checks it against every building and tree along your path, and shows you where the shade is β€” before you step outside. It also knows Lagos's BRT corridors, the Blue and Red Line trains, and the ferry crossings, and tells you which side of the bus, train, or boat stays cool.

πŸƒ Open ShadeRoute

πŸš€Start in 30 seconds

1

Tell it where you're going

Type your From and To in the boxes β€” e.g. "Ojota" to "Maryland Mall, Ikeja". If typing no be your thing, just tap the map twice: first tap is A, second tap is B. Not sure yet? Press β–Ά Demo to see a sample trip you can edit.

2

Press "Find shady route"

ShadeRoute draws your walking path and colours it: green where shadow covers you, orange where sun go catch you. The card below shows your minutes, distance, steps, and how much of the walk is shaded.

3

Drag the sun β˜€οΈ β€” and reclaim your map

The slider at the bottom is a time machine: drag the sun left for morning, right for evening, and watch the shadows move along your own street. Tap LIVE to jump back to now. On a phone, the search panel folds away once your route appears β€” tap 🧭 Route to bring it back, and tap the result card's title to shrink or expand it. The map is always one tap from full view.

πŸ—ΊοΈHow to read the map

Green line β€” shadedA building or tree is blocking the sun here at your chosen time.
Orange line β€” open sunNothing stands between you and the sun on this stretch. Waterproof your hairstyle.
AB
A and B markersYour start and destination. Press βœ• to clear and plan a fresh trip.
πŸƒ Shade 62%
Shade scoreThe share of your walk under cover. Above 50% is a good walk; drag the sun to find the hour that scores highest.

🚌Bus seat mode β€” sit on the cool side

Switch to 🚌 Bus seat at the top, set the same A and B, and ShadeRoute traces the road your bus or ride will follow. For every bend of the road it compares the direction of travel with the sun's position β€” then tells you plainly:

LEFT seats β€” cool 😎 RIGHT seats β€” sun side πŸ₯΅ moving β†’

The verdict comes with a percentage β€” "Sit LEFT β€” 72% of the ride" β€” because roads bend, so no side wins the whole trip. The green/orange bar shows which stretches favour which side. Works the same for danfo, BRT, or your own car with the AC resting.

🚏BRT, Train & Ferry lines

The 🚏 BRTΒ·RailΒ·Ferry tab knows Lagos's public transport lines β€” BRT and regulated bus corridors, the Blue and Red Line trains, and the LAGFERRY crossings. Pick a line, pick where you board and where you drop, and press "Which side make I sit?"

  • Buses follow the real road on the map; trains and ferries draw their direct line β€” a ferry's straight path across the lagoon is exactly the water it sails.
  • The β‡… button flips your direction instantly for the return trip β€” morning and evening usually swap the cool side.
  • Ferry riders, this one is for you. A long open-water crossing with the sun on your side of the boat is no joke β€” check before you board.
  • Typical operating hours show under each result. Lagos operators don't publish live timetables yet, so ride times are honest estimates, not promises.
  • Your line no dey the list? The network is growing β€” the busiest corridors are in first, and more are added as commuters ask. Browse everything covered so far at the route guide.

πŸ”₯Beat the heat β€” habits that work

  • Walk before 10am or after 4pm when you can. Drag the sun on your regular route and you'll see the shade often doubles outside midday hours.
  • A slightly longer green route beats a shorter orange one. Two extra minutes in shade tires you far less than five minutes under direct sun.
  • Water before you feel thirsty. By the time thirst talks, you're already behind. Carry water for any walk past 15 minutes.
  • Notice the warning signs. Dizziness, headache, or when your sweat suddenly stops β€” find shade and rest immediately. That last one is serious: it can mean heat exhaustion is turning dangerous.
  • Light colours, loose clothes, and a cap do more than they look. Dark tight fabric holds heat against your body.
  • Look out for others. Children, elders, and anyone working outside feel the heat first. Share the cool route.
β˜€οΈ On red-hot afternoons:

If the app shows mostly orange no matter how you drag the sun, that's the app being honest β€” there's simply no shade on that path at that hour. Consider the bus, a keke, or shifting the trip an hour. The best shade route is sometimes a different time, not a different street.

❓Questions people ask

Why does the app not show fares?

Because we refuse to show you a stale price as if it were today's. Lagos fares change without notice, and a wrong number costs you at the terminal. When we can show fares verified by real commuters β€” fresh and dated β€” they'll return. Until then, no fake precision.

Can it tell me when the next bus or train is coming?

Not yet β€” and neither can any app, honestly: no Lagos operator publishes live schedules or vehicle positions. We show each line's typical operating hours instead. Live arrivals are on our roadmap the moment trustworthy data exists.

My bus route is not in the list.

Lagos has dozens of corridors and hundreds of danfo lines β€” we started with the busiest and add more steadily. Check the full route guide for what's covered today, and tell us the route you ride; commuter requests decide what gets added next.

My place doesn't show when I type it. Why?

Add the area to help the search β€” "Adexs Delight, Surulere" works better than just "Adexs Delight". Or skip typing entirely: pan the map to the spot and tap it. Anywhere you can point at, ShadeRoute can route to.

How does it know where shadows are? Is it a camera?

No camera β€” it's mathematics. The sun's position in the sky can be calculated exactly for any minute of any day. ShadeRoute combines that with the real heights and shapes of buildings and trees from OpenStreetMap, the free map of the world built by volunteers, and works out precisely where each shadow falls.

Some streets show orange but I know there's shade there.

Then a building or tree on that street hasn't been added to OpenStreetMap yet β€” the app can only see what's on the map. Coverage in Lagos is good and improving monthly; you can even add missing buildings yourself at openstreetmap.org and make the app smarter for everyone.

Why does my route change when I drag the sun?

The route itself stays the same β€” the colours change. A street shaded at 9am can be full sun by 1pm because the shadows have moved to the other side. That's exactly why the time slider exists: check the hour you'll actually walk.

Does it work at night?

After sundown the whole route shows as cool β€” because it is. The card will tell you "Sun don set." Bus seat mode will simply say sit anywhere you like.

Is it free? Does it track me?

Free. Location is used only if you allow it, only to centre the map near you, and it never leaves your phone. No account, no sign-up.

Nothing loads / it says servers are busy.

Route calculations run on our own Nigerian servers, but map building data sometimes queues on busy afternoons. Wait half a minute and press Find shady route again β€” the app also retries backup servers by itself.