w8Hou Posted February 19, 2011 Share #1 Posted February 19, 2011 Old news, worth mention it on this forum.... NJ Transit buses to get sensors that allow riders to pinpoint arrival times[/B] For the more than half a million bus riders in America’s most congested state, life can be filled with uncertainty. Where’s my bus? Do I have time to go inside and stay warm before it arrives? Should I let my boss know I’ll be late? With new technology coming to NJ Transit’s entire fleet of 2,200 buses, passengers may soon have some answers. Buses will be equipped with sensors that allow riders, at the touch of their cellphones, to know exactly when the next bus will arrive at a specific stop, and where other NJ Transit buses are in the city. "It’s about offering better service," NJ Transit executive director Jim Weinstein said today after the agency’s board of directors approved a $22 million contract with Clever Devices LTD of Plainview, N.Y. The company is to equip 1,040 buses in NJ Transit’s existing fleet with the technology within 18 months. Another 1,145 new buses the agency is receiving by 2013, as it replaces older vehicles, already have the technology. "One of the great frustrations bus riders have," Weinstein said, "is they go out for a bus and they think it’s at 10:15 and they get out there at 10:12 — and they’re not really sure whether the bus is coming or not coming. It’s just that lack of information. This is going to enable us to give bus riders information." To access the information, riders could use cellphones or smartphones to text their designated bus stop ID number to NJ Transit’s "mybus" service, at mybus (69287), or call 973-275-5555, to learn when the next bus for a given route will arrive at their stop. Riders will also see where other NJ Transit buses in the surrounding area are at that moment. "What this will do is tell you actually where the bus is and when it’s going go get to where you are," Weinstein said. "So if it’s late, it’s held up because of traffic, because of road conditions — all of that is going to be right there. Knowledge is power for people. If they know what’s going to happen and what to expect, they can adjust to that." Commuter Karl Zielaznicki, who takes a bus from Aberdeen to New York City, has found that regular commuters have a good knowledge of the scheduled bus times, and that the early morning buses generally arrive within five minutes of the scheduled time. But on the way home, buses are sometimes late, and Zielaznicki said he always found it odd that "with GPS and cell phones that the dispatchers have no idea where the bus is, what caused the delay and when the bus would arrive." "This service would be helpful with up-to-the-minute information since I could decide to wait for the bus or head down to Penn Station to take a train if the delays are extensive," he said. Once on the bus, riders would get an announcement — by voice and on digital screen — about the next stop. "With the weather that we’ve been experiencing, any real time information is very appreciated," said Suzanne Mack of NJ Transit’s advisory committee. A small computer "logic unit" will be installed into the buses, connecting it to NJ Transit’s main system. This will directly benefit NJ Transit by providing data pertaining to ridership hot spots, delays and condition of bus engines, helping make planning decisions that could save money. Airline passengers at Newark Liberty International Airport get real time information on flights and rail riders at Newark Penn Station get real time information for their trains. Bus riders, who make up two-thirds of NJ Transit’s overall weekday ridership of nearly 900,000, next year will get the same information as passengers in the skies and on the rails. NJ Transit also announced today an enhancement to its "My Transit" alert system to allow customers to receive weekend rail alerts. There will also be alerts regarding disruptions to the Access Link service for the elderly and disabled. Customers can sign up by visiting http://www.njtransit.com/mytransit. link: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/02/nj_transit_buses_to_be_equippe.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metsfan Posted February 22, 2011 Share #2 Posted February 22, 2011 I hope red and tan gets these, so we can see where that damn #10 bus keeps stopping for 45 minutes. - A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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