USF Employs Automatic Vehicle Location System

USF recently unveiled their new bus tracking system. I knew that there was research going on, but I never imagined the USF Bullrunner having live tracking feeds. I wonder what this will do to ridership. I'll definitely be more likely to ride transit if I know exactly where the vehicle is at any given moment. The system removes the apprehension associated with uncertain reliability of the system. I suppose the real question is: How much will it impact ridership, and what are the marginal benefits of the system? Research will definitely be easier to conduct!

In any case, the technology is exciting and really fun to play with.

Go to http://www.usfbullrunner.com/ and check out the system. Future improvements of the system will include ridership count per vehicle.

The Official Press Release Reads:

USF introduces new bus tracking system - TAMPA, Fla. (Mar. 2, 2010)

The University of South Florida Department of Parking & Transportation Services is unveiling a new program Mar. 2 that will provide riders of the USF Bull Runner, the USF Tampa campus shuttle, with enhanced convenience and security. The program is an Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system which is available on the web and can be downloaded on mobile hand-held devices.

The AVL offers several services including the ability to see arrival predictions for all buses at all stops, the ability to track buses along the routes so riders can plan their day accordingly, the ability to set up alerts for recurring use via text message and bus viewing in real-time. In April, USF will also implement automatic passenger counting on buses so riders will be able to know how full a bus is before it arrives.

The new system can be viewed at www.usfbullrunner.com. To see the application working, click on the "Live Map" and choose a route. As always, a valid USF ID is required to ride the USF Bull Runner. USF is the only university in the State University System that owns its own buses and offers the AVL program.