April 5, 2008
CTA Bus Tracker System Adds Bus Lines
#8 CTA Bus by Timothy State.
Beginning Monday, you’ll be able to log onto the Web through CTA Bus Tracker to determine the location of 13 more bus routes. The system uses GPS to track the exact locations of buses. There are two views available on the site - one predicting arrival time at a particular stops, the other displaying bus locations on a map. The CTA advises that the estimated arrival time will count down, unless there is a problem: “you may see the arrival predictions remain the same number of minutes or possibly increase, rather than count down, indicating that the bus is not moving.”
There is even a text-based site for mobile phones, which displays arrival times.
The No. 20 Madison route was the pilot route first available. These additional routes go live Monday:
- No. 35 – 35th
- No. 39 – Pershing
- No. 43 – 43rd
- No. 49 – Western
- No. X49 – Western Express
- No. 54B – South Cicero
- No. 55A – 55th/Austin
- No. 55N – 55th/Narragansett
- No. 62 – Archer
- No. 62H – Archer/Harlem
- No. 63W – West 63rd
- No. 94 – South California
- No. 165 – West 65th
We’re a little skeptical, though. Does this really help improve the level of service the CTA can provide?
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Wait, you're skeptical as to whether or not this represents and increase in the level of service? As someone who has spent many an hour waiting for the bus, let me assure you that if this works, it's quite possibly the greatest thing to happen to public transportation ever.
yes, yes, yes. i live at argyle and oakley, and this will help me with the western bus SOOO much. if this works this will be SO mega sweet, and will prevent the heartache of watching a bus pass me by and leaving me to think ... 'if only i hadn't peed before i left the house.'
clark? clark bus please? granted, it's the theater of the absurd, and theaters of the absurd need extra time to pull their absurdity around town, but it would be great to get a heads up on just where the hell the theater of the absurd is when it comes up missing, which is frequently.
How are you supposed to use it if you don't have the internet? Can you access via cell phone?
matty,
As mentioned in the article: "There is even a text-based site for mobile phones."
Clark, Broadway, Sheridan & the rest of the routes that are out of the North Park garage will be the last buses to get bus tracker.
These are easily the most screwed up routes in the city, other than Cottage Grove on the South Side.
I once waited an hour for a northbound Broadway about 18 months ago. I would have walked home, but I had a bum leg at the time & just waited & waited at Thorndale.
......for all those retirees who use the information super high way to check up on their buss. I can just hear my grandmother calling me now. Poor woman is still scared shitless that she ended up on the google maps.