Wait times at bus stops will decrease for Staten Island residents.
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The InTime B63 app tracks the route of the B36 bus. Similar to InTime B63, an upcoming InTime Staten Island app will show realtime bus information for all MTA Staten Island buses.
Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority installed Bus Time tracking system for all Staten Island bus lines, allowing travelers to look up the location of their buses on computers and phones.
MTA media liaison Aaron Donovan said the project began in April 2010, resulting in the pilot program last February on the B63 line in Brooklyn.
This GPS-based mechanism is accessible online, where riders can search for their location by intersection, bus route or the unique code on each bus stop. People can also get real-time bus information in seconds by texting the bus stop code, which will let them know how far away the next bus is.
The system is even easier for smartphone users. To receive the same information, they can simply scan the Quick Response code printed on each bus stop.
Complete integration in all boroughs is scheduled for the end of next year, but it has not been determined which one will receive the tracking system next.
"MTA Bus Time promises to fundamentally alter the way New Yorkers use buses to get around," Donovan said. "Instead of waiting at a bus stop without knowing how long you'll be there, you'll be able to linger at home or at a nearby coffee shop. When you see your bus getting close, you'll be able to go out and meet it."
Though integration of the system is still in its infancy, it is already drawing praise from bus riders.
Irina Burdeynik, a Stern junior and Staten Island resident, said Bus Time is a useful application.
"It allows me to save time waiting on the bus stop by leaving my house just in time," Burdeynik said.
A $7,200 installation of hardware and firmware is necessary for each bus — $1,200 of which is coming from the Bus Time budget. The remaining cost is covered by the smart card payment project budget. Software development and maintenance will cost an additional $1.17 million per year over a six-year period.
NYU implemented a similar system called TransLoc real time bus locator in Nov. 2010, which tracks the NYU buses and is available on any device with Internet connectivity.
Monthly hits through various smartphone apps and on the web have increased steadily, reaching a high of more than 53,000 hits during Dec. 2011, according to Fred Barlow, assistant director of NYU Public Safety.
