Regular bus riders know how integral an accurate real-time bus arrival system can be to the experience of bus transit. D.C. Metro just made a switch in technology, and Greater Greater Washington evaluated the results (so far).
Tracy Hadden Loh reports on the results of an audit by Greater Greater Washington staff members of the new bus arrival estimation system at work for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).
WMATA implemented the new bus estimation system, BusETA, earlier this month, replacing the NextBus system it had operated for seven years previously. Hadden Loh sums up the audit thusly: " Overall, the system performed well enough, but buses sometimes came earlier than predicted, and "ghost buses" are still real."
The audit revealed some of the tendencies of the new system, including several instances of buses arriving before the predicted arrival time. As Hadden Loh explains, "this is a major problem, because when you miss a bus by only one or two minutes, you have to wait the entire headway of the bus line for the next one, which is the worst-case delay scenario."
The audit's final verdict, however, is that BusETA's use of the open source OneBusAway project, also used by Atlanta and New York "should promote innovation and help interested parties understand how and why various prediction apps are working."
FULL STORY: Metro's new bus prediction system is pretty accurate, but leave yourself some extra time
D.C. Metro Changes Arrival Estimation Technology
It's the details of transit apps that matter to users, so the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) just made a change of technology provider that will help make it easier to accurately predict bus arrival times.
Backlash for Bus Service Cuts Proposed by D.C. Metro
A debate about how to more efficiently operate the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's bus service is underway.
Report Lays Out a New Path for Bus Service in the D.C. Region
Ridership on the WMATA bus system, down an estimated 13 percent between 2012 and 2017, will need drastic innovations to reverse, according to a new report by the Bus Transformation project.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie