The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NY) is on track to provide real-time information for all Staten Island buses by the end of the year. Yesterday the MTA board approved a contract with VeriFone, Inc., to install the necessary hardware to support the Bus Time application. “Today, our transit system is quickly catching up with our 21st century expectation that real-time information is available on the go for all New Yorkers,” said chairman Jay H. Walder in a statement. “That means knowing if your bus is on time before you leave home, getting updates on delays while you’re out and about, and unlocking opportunities for better service across our entire network. MTA Bus Time is a big part of this new vision for bus service in New York.” Bus Time allows users to track a bus in real time via Internet or smart phone. Riders can also send a text message to the MTA to find out where the bus is. Unlike some real-time applications, Bus Time does not tell riders when the bus will arrive. The MTA launched Bus Time last February, selecting Brooklyn’s B63 bus for the pilot test. Transportation Nation reports that the MTA receives about 700 text messages a day requesting location information for that route.
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