The CTA is implementing changes to its tracking technology that will more accurately display bus arrival times and track bus reroutes and delays.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is tackling the problem of ‘ghost buses,’ buses that show up on the agency’s CTA Bus Tracker but don’t actually arrive.
As Igor Studenkov explains in Streetsblog Chicago, a CTA report acknowledged that the issue has “eroded trust in a significant way.” The agency is working to more quickly update its app and third-party apps when buses break down, are unable to park, or other factors that create false positives. “Now, when the operators call the control center, the control center staff can update the information on the app to reflect whether the bus is actually coming or not.”
The tracker apps will also now display bus reroutes and alert riders when a bus will not be making a scheduled stop. The new system is dynamic enough that it should be updated even when unexpected emergencies like water main breaks impact service.
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