USA Today

"NO MORE WAITING 'IN THE DARK' FOR YOUR BUS"

usa today 6/23/08

Excerpts from the article

GPS-savvy, solar signs help rider's connect

by Katherine Lackey

As the demand for customer friendly, real-time information increases, more cities, counties and states are going high tech at the bus stop.

With gas prices rising, transit is becoming more and more of an option for people to afford to get to work.

(or so the article claims) (my comments in lilac) the above statement is only true in very select cities still.

We need to try and improve the experience of transit and make it more usable for our citizens," said Lorin Swirsky.

AMEN TO THAT! BUT SO FAR IT'S ALL JUST LIP SERVICe

D.C. and N.Y.C. are working on pilot programs for electronic bus signs. Elsewhere:

NEW JERSEY

Rutgers at New Brunswick, hopes to have all 50 if it's bus shelters equipped with signs by the end of the summer.

CALIFORNIA

Long Beach Transit initiated a system in '04 that currently operates 22 signs, of which 16 are solar-powered, said Epley, marketing manager for the company.

DELAWARE

21 bus shelters were equipped with electronic signs in November, mostly in New Castle.

INDIANA

WOW! COOL DUDE! I LIVED THERE IN '04, AND UPON REFLECTION I REALIZE THAT I ACTUALLY USED THE GPS SYSTEM THERE..........................THIS IS WHEN MY BUBBLE DEFLATED, WHEN I REALIZED THAT, THAT GPS SYSTEM DID NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT , YOU STILL NEED A CAR FOR A NORMAL LIFE IN WEST LAFAYETTE, LAFAYETTE, INDIANA.

Three of the busiest stops in Lafayette and West Lafayette were equipped with the signs in '04 says Connell, operations manager for City Bus.

Next, City Bus plans to allow passengers to access bus arrival times via text message.

I'M NOT SUGGESTING THESE PROGRAMS ARE A BAD THING, BUT WHAT I DO KNOW FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IS THAT IF YOU STILL NEED A CAR FOR A NORMAL LIFE IN W.LAF AND LAF. THEN YOU PROBABLY NEED A CAR IN EVERY OTHER REGION OF THE U.S. THAT IMPLEMENTS THESE GPS SYSTEMS.

HAVE YOU EVER WAITED AT A STOP WITH THESE SYSTEMS? DID THEY REALLY RAISE YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE, SIGNIFICANTLY?