Stingers, Emory Shuttles gain tracking ability
By Wei Liao / Student Publications
Stingers are following Tech Trolleys in the implementation of tracking technology. The trolleys have had been using the GPS system for one year.
As of May 27, Parking and Transportation installed devices with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology on all Stingers and Emory Shuttles. The technology will allow students to track locations of the buses beginning this summer.
The technology produces a map showing locations and minutes till the next arrival for each Stinger on its route. The website that displays the map, NextBus.com, has been showing locations and times for the Tech Trolley for about a year.
According to David Williamson, vice president of Parking and Transportation, the information is updated every twenty-five seconds.
"Everything has already been installed and tested," Williamson said.
Information regarding time until the next arrival at the bus stop can also be accessed from a few handheld devices.
"The technology is very convenient; riders can even access the information without a computer, through cell phones and PDA's," he said.
Parking and transportation will put up signs displaying the time until the next Stinger arrival and for other Stingers en route at the intersection of Atlantic Drive and Ferst Drive and at the Student Center bus stop.
Williamson said that the signs will also announce the closure of certain stops and the location of stops that may be on alternate routes due to construction.
"It will be convenient; we can even announce when specific stops are closed so that riders know the route or the alternative place to stand" he said.
Williamson hopes that the signs at the stops will be installed and working by next semester.
The two major purposes of installing the GPS, Williamson said, are "to provide customer service and a database on the quality of service."
"Right now we don't have anything to let us know how well we are doing," he said. "If we guarantee that one bus comes every six minutes, we will now be able to judge how accurate that is."
An additional bus on the red route will be added during the fall semester due to the high volume of riders in the past.
"Our focus is on the Trolleys and Stingers, and making service more dependable for them. We assume that if [the buses] are more dependable, more people will ride them," he said.
The money for the GPS technology comes from the Student Transportation Fee. Funds were requested from SGA for GPS on the Stingers and Emory Shuttles two years ago.
Tech originally undertook the project along with several other corporations.
"Georgia Tech's OIT played a huge role [in getting it installed]," Williamson said. "In addition to NextBus.com, Transtell and Cingular were also involved."
In the future, Parking and Transportation plans to install screens at bus stops with maps showing the exact positions of the Stingers.
"We are looking forward to putting screens at the stops so people can see the map," Williamson said.
"It removes the concern of time that students have. Riders don't have to be left wondering when their bus is coming; the time becomes their own to manage and make into something more productive," he said.
Currently, no other university in the state of Georgia has a similar system in place.
