New GPS technology in campus shuttles tracks the buses’ locations in real time and shows students when they will arrive.
The shuttle tracker maps, which are available on the Commuter Service’s Web site, were installed in March for a trial period that ended at the beginning of Fall Semester.
The maps feature icons that move in sync with the GPS system’s positioning. When a shuttle stops, the icon stops, and when a shuttle arrives in front of the Union, the icon moves to the Union stop on the diagram, in theory.
Sashsa Nakoryakov, an undeclared freshman, glances at the tracker display in the Union as she walks past. She takes the shuttle three times per week, but doesn’t take too much stock in what she sees on the tracker display. As she hurried to the Union stop to catch her bus, she said, “It’s not that reliable. A lot of times around the Union, it will say there are no buses, but one will be right here.”
There are two still displays to show students shuttle locations, one on the Union Services Desk and one in the Heritage Center.
Union employees said students seem to be using the displays.
“When it’s not working, people always ask about it,” said Tiffany Lieu, a junior in mass communication who works at the services desk.
At about $600 per bus, the system cost the U a little less than $17,000, according to Commuter Services. But the U got a good deal, said Jake Green, a transportation manager with Commuter Services.
“We’ve been looking at Stanford who has a great system. They are insanely expensive: $6,000 per bus with a monthly fee,” Green said.
The tracker also documents maintenance problems and helps Commuter Services find problems before they need major repairs, which Green said helps lower costs in the long run.
The tracker cuts costs and saves paper because the U doesn’t have to print schedules.
“In fall semester we used to print 50,000 maps, but if we changed the schedule all those schedules were obsolete,” said Alma Allred, director of Commuter Services. Now the shuttles’ schedules are only online, and the tracker can inform students of any last-minute changes.
Sydney Truong, a freshman in biomedical engineering, rides the shuttles twice a day on Saturdays.
“To be honest, sometimes the shuttles aren’t always on time and it can be a little frustrating sometimes,” Truong said. She said she might start using the tracker, but hasn’t so far.
The next phase for the tracker system will be an expansion of the posted displays. Green, who is in charge of the tracker program, thinks permanent displays across campus will be the most helpful for students. More displays might be added in buildings, similar to the Union and Heritage Center displays, or at the actual shuttle stops, Green said.
Lennie MahlerThe new shuttle tracker system uses GPS technology to follow shuttles around campus. Hopes are that the displays will be more effective than printed maps.