Saskatoon, Canada: GPS Comes To Two Express Bus Routes

Two express bus routes running from southeastern suburban Saskatoon to the downtown area and University of Saskatchewan are getting GPS location devices fitted, the first two buses in the city to feature them, after both the city council and finance committee approved installing GPS devices in the city’s 120-bus fleet.

Jamie Robison, access transit manager for the city, told the committee, “You can see exactly where the bus is, if it is late — all that.”

The Future

While GPS devices were installed as part of a pilot program last year, the future holds much more for the bus routes in the city. In a year, the city council has approved smartphone apps to be implemented in order for riders to receive real-time data as to the location of the buses in the fleet.

For now, the buses fitted with the GPS tracking devices appear on a map of Saskatoon online. It shows staff at transit headquarters if a bus happens to be behind or ahead of schedule. Staff relies on touch screen consoles to view the route map and timer.

Route Overhaul

The system will grant the public access to the location data of the buses being tracked via website and eventual mobile app, which is expected to be ready after bus routes are redesigned over the summer.

The redesign provides two new routes, created to shorten the longest routes in the city. “Right now [the longest] route can take 50 minutes,” said Saskatoon’s utility services manager Jeff Jorgenson. “We are looking to keep it under 30.”

The hope of the department after implementing this new system: to attract new riders. Councilors said that Transit should work harder advertising the altered routes and GPS location technology to make this happen. Ideally, it should all be introduced at once to be truly effective.

“You are going to be successful if you give customers what they want: reduced travel times and convenience. Simply telling them you got this route isn’t going to work. You have to tie all these things together,” said Councilor Darren Hill.

Saskatoon, Canada: GPS Comes To Two Express Bus Routes