New York City’s public transit provider, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), has decided to invest in a state-of-the-art bus tracking system that will give New Yorkers a real-time view into the exact location of every bus in the city. The tracking system will help bus riders stay on schedule, plan their travel, and never miss a bus again.
Bus riders in New York City should be very excited about the upcoming, real-time bus tracking system. Because traffic conditions, breakdowns, and day-to-day problems faced by transit providers can delay bus service, the tracking system was designed to keep bus riders on schedule even if their bus isn’t.
Bus riders will be able to access real-time information from a computer or mobile device and users can also use text messages to locate buses. This will especially come in handy during a snow storm or on a cold, rainy day.
The MTA started testing the tracking system last year on buses in Brooklyn. The transit authority installed a GPS tracking device on each bus and installed web-based software. The tracking system lets bus riders text in to find out the real-time location of the bus they are waiting for.
This week the MTA said the tracking system will immediately go live in the borough of Staten Island — which has buses and a light rail line but no subway — and will be in all five boroughs by 2013.