Cities Begin to Incorporate GPS into Public Transit Systems
The growing list of California cities that have adopted or are planning to adopt GPS technology on their public transit systems now includes Santa Clara, according to reports from the Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
The idea behind this refreshing willingness to use new technology in the name of easing commuter pain is to give riders an idea of how long they will be waiting at bus stops. Each city bus will be outfitted with a GPS tracking device, which will transmit a signal that can be accessed by riders with Blackberries or other electronic organizers for real-time location updates. Select stops around the city will also have display screens telling everyone just how far away the bus is.
Take it from a frequent user of public transportation: this is a GREAT idea. At first glance, it seems that knowing how long you have to wait does nothing but ease psychological pain (a feature not to be underestimated). But for those of us who can perfectly time the trip to the coffee shop or convenience store around the corner, it does so much more.
My only question is with regard to the size of the readout screens at the bus-stops. Imagine being able to see this information as far as a block away from the stop–it would be like experiencing a New Year’s Eve countdown every morning. Tremendous.
In adopting the GPS technology, Santa Clara will be joining Long Beach and Glendale, both of which have highly successful GPS programs on their buses. Does anyone know of any other cities around the country that have this?
