MTA Bus Time
MTA Bus Time, stylized as BusTime, is a Service Interface for Real Time Information, automatic vehicle location (AVL), and passenger information system provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) of New York City for customers of its bus operations under the New York City Bus and MTA Bus Company brands. First tested in late 2010 and officially launched in early 2011, MTA Bus Time was installed in all MTA bus routes in New York City by 2014.
The software uses
Usage and software
MTA Bus Time allows riders to track the location of buses along a route. On computer browsers, the service uses
The current Bus Time system uses on-board
Bus Time is also used by the MTA to create performance reports for bus routes, and by bus dispatchers and managers to monitor and improve service. This technology is called Bus Trek.[10][11][12]
History
The mass transit system of New York City did not have any sort of arrival-time information system prior to the installation of the first subway and bus countdown clocks in the 2000s. Many other major cities (such as London, Paris, and Washington, D.C.) had used the technology for many years; several American cities such as Chicago, San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon, have also had bus-tracking systems prior to MTA implementation.[13][14][15]
In 1979, the MTA tested a radio-based monitoring system on the buses from the
In 1996, the MTA's
In 1999, the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) planned to launch a tracking and countdown clock program on the Q60 route (then privately operated under a DOT subsidy by Green Bus Lines) along Queens Boulevard. The DOT planned to put it in operation by 2002.[22][23] In summer 2005, a $13 million contract was awarded by the MTA to Siemens for a pilot countdown clock program at fifteen stops along the same six bus routes in Manhattan of the previous NYCT program.[21][24] This project also experienced delays, with the first countdown clocks operational by October 2007.[25] After issues with arrival time accuracy, the clocks were shut down in February 2008, and MTA pulled out of the program in early 2009.[21][25]
In August 2009, countdown clocks were installed at eight stops for the
The pilot route for the most recent iteration of MTA Bus Time was the B63 in Brooklyn, where thirty buses were equipped with the technology in February 2011.[7][32][33] By January 2012, every local and express bus in Staten Island was equipped with the system.[6][7][32] The M34/M34A SBS began using the system on April 6, 2012,[30] with nearly every Bronx bus route using the system by the end of 2012.[10] All five boroughs of the city used the system by March 2014, and a mobile app was released in 2015.[11][34]
References
- ^ a b c Whitford, Emma (July 1, 2015). "Bus Countdown Clocks Coming To Every Borough, Eventually". Gothamist. Archived from the original on August 11, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ^ AM New York. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ^ See:
- "How to Use MTA Bus Time". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- "How to Use MTA Bus Time". YouTube. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 11, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ^ Global Newswire. June 16, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
- ^ See:
- Sedon, Michael (December 9, 2013). "New electronic signs tell bus riders how long they have to wait". Staten Island Advance. Staten Island, New York. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- "Staten Island Bus Stops". Daktronics. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ^ a b Barone, Vincent (December 17, 2014). "Staten Island to receive additional electronic, real-time bus signage". Staten Island Advance. Staten Island, New York. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Introducing MTA Bus Time". YouTube. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 11, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ^ "MTA Bus Time Technology". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ^ "New Interior Electronic Strip Maps Coming to Subway Cars on 2 5 Lines". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. February 12, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ^ a b "MTA Bus Time Implementation & New Applications" (PDF). apta.com. American Public Transportation Association, Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 9, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ a b "MTA Real-Time Bus Tracking Arriving in Brooklyn and Queens in March". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. February 24, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ "Transit & Bus Committee Meeting January 2013" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 31, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
- ^ a b Grynbaum, Michael M. (March 7, 2010). "Experimental Clocks Tell Straphangers if the Wait May Soon Be Over". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ "Does Knowing Count? Comparing Urban Bus Tracking Systems and Ridership". thirteen.org. WNET. March 28, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ a b See:
- Grynbaum, Michael M. (August 11, 2009). "Miracle on 34th Street: Knowing Bus Arrival Times". The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- Romero, Katherine; Namako, Tom (August 12, 2009). "34th St. bus countdown clocks ticking". New York Post. Archived from the original on August 18, 2009. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- Parker, Billy (August 12, 2009). "Countdown Clocks Make Their Way Above Ground". Gothamist. Archived from the original on September 18, 2009. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ^ See:
- Associated Press (April 18, 1979). "Radar to be tried in bus monitoring". Gannett Westchester Newspapers. New York. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- Dornfield, S. (September 15–17, 1980). Queens Village: A quantum jump in bus control/communications. 30th IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference. Dearborn, MI: . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- Davies, Peter; Hill, Chris; Emmott, Neil; Siviter, Jeremy (July 1991). "Assessment of Advanced Technologies For Transit and Rideshare Applications; Final Report; NCTRP Project 60-1A" (PDF). Urban Mass Transit Administration, United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- "The M.T.A.'s Answer to Bus Bunching". The New York Times. July 14, 1979. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Kennedy, Randy (March 15, 2000). "Out of Touch In the City's Canyons; Satellites Become Blind Eyes in the Sky Trying to Spot and Track Buses". The New York Times. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Orbital Wins $4 Million Contract From New York MTA for Satellite Tracking Of Transit Bus Fleet: Company Wins Second Contract in New York City Area". Dulles, Virginia: PR Newswire. October 2, 1997. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
- ^ a b Campantile, Carl (October 26, 1999). "Problems 'building' for Satellite Bus-track Plan". New York Post. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
- ^ Campanile, Carl (September 8, 1999). "TA Looks Skyward to Speed Vans & Buses". New York Post. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
- ^ Daily News. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
- ^ Campanile, Carl (June 15, 1999). "TaA's in Orbit Over Its New Bus-tracker System". New York Post. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
- ^ Topousis, Tom (November 15, 2000). "City's Dot to Train Eye in Sky on Buses". New York Post. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
- ^ Chan, Sewell (June 28, 2005). "Metro Briefing New York: Manhattan: M.T.A. Approves Bus Experiment". The New York Times. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
- ^ Daily News (New York). Retrieved December 17, 2015.
- ^ "MTA NYC Transit Bus Arrival Info Here Now on 34th Street Crosstown". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 14, 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
- ^ "Bus Company Committee Meeting January 2010" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 18, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
- ^ "New York City Transit: History and Chronology". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
- ^ Magee, Kelly (October 15, 2010). "Bus here yet? Check your phone". New York Post. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ a b "MTA Bus Time® to Debut Sunday on the M34/M34A SBS Crosstown". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 6, 2012. Archived from the original on April 10, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ Bernstein, Andrea (April 9, 2012). "The Actual Story – The MTA Removes Countdown Clocks on the Crosstown Line". wnyc.org. WNYC. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ a b Sedon, Michael (January 11, 2012). "New service will tell Staten Island commuters where their bus is". Staten Island Advance. Staten Island, New York. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ "MTA BusTime Offers Real-Time Bus Location Information for B63 Customers: Information Available Online, by Text Message and on Your Smartphone; MTA BusTime Coming to Staten Island Next" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. February 1, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ Whitford, Emma (June 5, 2015). "MTA's Bus Tracker Is Now Available As An App". Gothamist. Archived from the original on November 13, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
External links
- "MTA Bus Time" on MTA website: