RTA looking at GPS tracking system for buses

Helping customers stay in the know

By Mark Reaman

Imagine getting ready to leave the house to catch the bus for work on a cold January morning when you get a text on your phone. It is from the Gunnison Valley Rural Transportation Authority (RTA) and it says the bus is running 15 minutes late. Instead of standing in -20 degree temperatures at the bus stop, you grab another cup of coffee.

That could happen. The RTA board made it clear at the July 8 meeting they are interested in pursuing a GPS bus locator app that could be downloaded by their customers.

“I’m excited about trying to provide an opportunity for people to track where buses are,” said RTA executive director Scott Truex.

Truex said he is looking into companies that provide web-based smart phone apps that could track the buses. Of the two companies he contacted, one said it was too busy to submit a bid and the other, Colorado company RouteMatch, said it could provide the service as early as this winter. It would take RouteMatch about three months to build the RTA system.

“It isn’t cheap. By the time you outfit our seven buses it will probably cost us about $86,000 and be about $11,000 annually starting in the second year,” Truex informed the board. “But passengers would be able to download the app on their phones for free and see where the buses are. They could ask for text alerts that are sent automatically. There is also the ability to provide push notifications.

“It seems a great way to communicate with our customers,” continued Truex. “This one is expensive but has all the bells and whistles.”

“I’ll go out and try to search for some other companies that might want to submit bids,” said Truex.

Truex said most customer complaints have to do with people not knowing where the buses are. “Our passengers tend to be very understanding about delays due to weather and conditions, but it can be frustrating to be standing at a bus stop with no way of knowing when the bus will arrive,” Truex told the board.

RTA chair Roland Mason asked if the app could let people know when buses were full. Truex said it might be able to with input from drivers.

Mason suggested looking for grants to help fund the idea and Truex said that would be possible, but that it would take a couple of years.

“This allows us to communicate, which is important,” said RTA board member Glenn Michel. “It would allow an employee to call his or her boss and let them know they might be a bit late because of the bus. It could also provide some certainty for people living in outlying areas that use the bus. It provides a comfort level for using the bus.”

RTA board member Janet Farmer wanted to make sure that people in Crested Butte South would use the app, given the sometimes-spotty internet and cell service in the area.

The board gave Truex the go-ahead to pursue the idea with other companies and he will report back to them with proposals from other companies.