I feel like the OP is overcomplicating the solution, I don't own a car and all commuting is basically either:
- bus/train/tram crosses my stop 5 times a day - its trivial to learn the 5 times
- bus/train/tram crosses my stop more than 5 times a day - i just show up at the stop and wait
Perhaps my point of view is like this because I'm in Europe, I can't tell really.