All 21 buses in the city’s fleet will be equipped with GPS tracking systems in the near future. Tracking buses is a growing trend that helps both riders and supervisors stay in the loop. In a chilly place like Steamboat Springs, the app means riders will spend less time in the freezing cold.
Transit Manager Jonathan Flint said, “A vast majority of the phone calls we get are from people wondering when the next bus arrives.”
If a bus is running behind schedule, the new GPS tracking system will allow dispatchers to immediately get another bus on the route, and if a bus is ahead of schedule an alert will notify the driver to slow down.
The upgrade will cost the city about $82,000 with the majority of funds coming from state grants generated by a hike in vehicle registration fees.