Clock May Be Running Out on Real Time Bus Info

The MTA has been trying to bring "real time arrival information" to bus stops--to let riders know when buses are headed to their stops-- since 2005, but, now, it looks like the project's time may have past. The Daily News reports that officials "halted some work 'pending a decision on the future of the project.'" The project is two years behind schedule, apparently been bedeviled by "citing software issues, a high failure rate of onboard equipment and inaccurate arrival times relayed to message boards placed on just a handful of routes in Manhattan so far." The MTA had hoped to expand the program to all bus routes, but signals can't be delivered continuously because of skyscrapers and then traffic makes "calculating arrival times...unpredictable." How about piloting the project in places without as many tall buildings but still a great reliance on buses?

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By Jen Chung in News on November 5, 2008 9:58 AM

Comments [rss]

HUGO_MEGO

The MTA should just realize their limits and give up. They will NEVER get this working.

JMH

As I understand it, the problem with running a pilot program in Brooklyn or Queens or the Bronx is the very fact that they won't have the same issues. If you run a successful pilot on a system in Queens, there's no guarantee it'll work in Manhattan because of the skyscrapers and the increased traffic. If you run a successful pilot on a system in Manhattan, it will work in the other boroughs.

r1b2

How come other cities can get these programs to work, no problemo? NYC is the center of the universe. Bus/ subway info is important. This ain't Des Moines!