Xpress commuter bus riders will soon be able to get real-time information about where their bus is located and how soon it will arrive.
Starting in early 2016, customers can access the information through a mobile app on their smartphones or via the website for Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, through a partnership with Atlanta-based RouteMatch Software. Passengers can also set up text message alerts to be notified of service changes.
“The number one question we get in customer service is ‘Where’s my bus?’" said Chris Tomlinson, GRTA executive director in a press release. "This new technology will give riders a tool to quickly spot where their bus is or be notified of route or schedule changes or other news that might impact their trip."
RouteMatch will outfit GRTA’s 166-bus fleet with a mobile tablet-based computer aided dispatch and automated vehicle location system, which will be used to track its fleet. The system will improve safety and driver-to-dispatch communications. The data also will allow GRTA to more accurately measure on-time performance.
In the future, the new technology platforms will enable GRTA to offer on-board Wi-Fi service and automated fare collection.
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