February 1, 2011 - Today OpenPlans and The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York unveiled a new service to inform bus riders of where their bus is. The service, a part of MTA BusTime puts the real-time locations of MTA buses online and makes those locations accessible to riders. This new pilot project is running on the B63 line in Brooklyn.

Riders can now access the locations of buses via personal computers, smart phones, or by SMS from any mobile phone. Bus locations are represented as moving icons on a map, or in text form by their distance from a particular stop. The B63 runs along 5th Avenue between Ft. Hamilton in south west Brooklyn, through Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, and Park Slope, and then along Atlantic Avenue to Cobble Hill.

To determine the location of the buses, MTA installed standard GPS and communication hardware on buses that run the B63 route. The hardware communicates bus locations and related information to software provided by OpenPlans which analyzes the information, improves its accuracy, and publishes the locations for access online and from mobile devices.

"Today, the 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 MTA Chairman Jay H. Walder. "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 BusTime is a big part of this new vision for bus service in New York."

The software also gives MTA the ability to make the vehicle location data available in real time so that third-party software developers can create applications, analyses, and services based on the data.

“This project demonstrates that open, standard hardware and software can meet the needs of the biggest transit authorities and their riders at a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time required to deploy legacy solutions,” said Nick Grossman, Director at OpenPlans.

The pilot project is one of several being conducted by MTA on different bus lines in the city, with the goal of finding the best solutions to deploy city-wide.

About OpenPlans

OpenPlans is a technology organization focused on transforming urban mobility. Founded in 1999 and based in New York City, OpenPlans is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit with a team of 50 software developers, designers, policy experts, and journalists. The organization builds innovative, open source software, publishes influential media outlets such as Streetsblog and Streetfilms, and promotes strategic partnerships that make cities better places to live. For more info visit OpenPlans Transportation.

About the Metropolitan Transportation Authority

The MTA is the largest transportation authority in the United States, serving the greater New York City region with an average weekday ridership of over 11 million people across all its modes. For more info visit mta.info.



Contact:

Michael Keating
(617) 388-7919
mkeating@openplans.org