"NextBus information is not a static schedule listing — it is actual arrival information, updated at regular intervals. Because traffic variations, breakdowns, and day-to-day problems faced by any transit provider can interrupt service, NextBus was designed to keep you on schedule even if your bus or train isn't.
From the comfort and security of a protected place, you can learn when the next bus will arrive at your stop.
NextBus uses satellite technology and advanced computer modeling to track vehicles on their routes. Each vehicle is fitted with a satellite tracking system...."
I guess it's "How Cool Net Stuff Makes Life Easier" posting week...
I came across NextBus the other day and I think it's one of cooler things I've seen recently, a service that takes a number of different technologies and merges them together to make our lives easier...
Using GPS tracking, mobile connectivity, java and the web, my city (Simi Valley) via Nextbus, provides real-time bus schedules and tracking. Via web page or mobile phone you can see exactly where the bus you're waiting on is and how long before it reaches your stop. Free...
Call me geeky, but I think it's just too cool watching the bus icons travel their route in real-time (via an optional java applet).
Personally this makes bus travel much more attractive to me. Knowing about this site/service, I'm now more likely to include using a local bus as a travel option. Go technology and go Simi! :)
BTW, there are a number of different states and transit agencies covered too...
(via LAist - RapidBus.net in Beta)
Have you seen Google Transit -- another scheme to wire up transit like this.
ReplyDeleteWhy more mass transit entities don't do this is a mystery to me. We have the technology!
I think I saw that when it first came out, but since it didn't cover any area I was interested in...
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you though... We have the tech, we just need the will (but then again "we" don't have to will to not buy SUV's :| ). We need to integrate the islands of data from different services and agency's and provide a REAL trip planning service.
But on the dark side... This kind of real time data sure could be useful to someone who wants to do something bad...
sigh... the post 9/11 world is a damn dark place...
I suppose that's true too, but then again, the schedules for most of these things are scheduled anyway, so the real-time data is just an adjunct to the already predictable nature of public transit.
ReplyDeleteGreat point.
ReplyDeleteThinking about it that way makes me feel better.. thanks :)