Metro

Bus here yet? Check your phone

The death-defying tactic of edging into traffic to see when the next bus is coming will no longer be needed on two Manhattan routes.

A free bus-tracking Web service called BusTime is being tested on the M16 and M34 lines — allowing riders to simply check their smartphones to find out how long until the next coach arrives and even its current location.

Instead of dodging speeding cyclists and cars, riders need only access the MTA’s BusTime Web page and plug in the route, direction and stop they’re standing at to instantly see how many minutes remain in their wait.

“Why rush to the bus stop when you can finish your cup of coffee or stop and grab a newspaper?” said NYC Transit President Tom Prendergast.

People who have a bus stop near their home can use the service on their home computers, and those who don’t have Internet access on their cellphones can find out when the next bus is coming by sending a text message.

The service, developed by Clever Devices, can be accessed at bustime.mta.info.

If it works well, it could be expanded to the entire system, said MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz.

Most straphangers were relieved to no longer have to play chicken with traffic.

“The bus can be hard to see, especially at rush hour — and you can’t tell how long it’s going to take,” said Kenji Ryuko, 36, of Brooklyn. “Now we know what’s going on.”

Others said it would help them beat the weather.

“I’d use it, especially in the winter when it’s raining — it gives me more time to hang out at home or in the office until it’s time to go,” said Lisa Shane, 30, who works in finance.

The MTA also has plans to install GPS devices on all buses in the near future. The technology will be included in SmartCard readers, which will eventually replace the MetroCard.

“It’s a good idea,” said Lauren Doyle, 34, who lives along the M34 route.

“It would be nice to know before I leave the house where the bus is — because a lot of times they get stuck in traffic.”

Countdown clocks, installed at bus stops by the MTA earlier this year, show riders along 34th Street how long it will be until the next bus arrives.

tom.namako@nypost.com