HART upgrades innovative app so you can track your bus

No more standing at the bus stop wondering where your bus is.

Living in a world with modern technology definitely has its pros, one being the ability to track the bus you are waiting for on your phone. HART recently launched a new technology for its customers called OneBusAway. Hart partons can instantly track buses to see where the bus is, and calculate the distance either by number of bus stops or miles from the customer’s location.
 
Features include an interactive map with vehicle locations, search engine-based interface, and an ADA compliant text-only mobile interface. OneBusAway can be accessed by both traditional computers as well as smart phones.
 
According to Shannon Haney of HART, OneBusAway improves the passenger experience.

“As part of the pilot project in Tampa, Georgia Tech conducted pre-and post-surveys, that for the first time quantified the effects that real-time transit information had on the passenger experience,” he says.  “The results outstandingly showed that wait times on the bus and anxiety levels significantly decreased, while customer satisfaction with HART and the sense of security while waiting at the stop increased.”

A couple years ago, HART launched a similar OneBusAway app, which delivered real-time bus arrival information directly to a passenger’s smart phone or computer giving customers real-time information. Since it was launched, it has been accessed more than 300,000 times per month.

With the upgrade, allowing customers to track buses on their phones or computers, HART hopes to see an even larger increase in those numbers.

“This was an important investment for HART,” Haney says. “It fully supports our mission and agency goals to provide safe, innovative and cost effective public transportation services that enhance the quality of life in our community.”