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9.26.2007
Intelligent
system predicts bus arrival times and reduces transportation complaints
Rutgers Focus
A new tool called NextBus, being launched across the New Brunswick
campus for the first time this month, should help those students
and other bus riders, numbering about 65,000 per day, considerably.
NextBus
uses a global positioning system to track all 40 Rutgers buses as
they meander through College Avenue, Busch, Livingston, Cook, and
Douglass campuses. It is an intelligent program that updates students
about bus whereabouts at every stop, via an LCD display that tells
riders how long they have to wait until the next two buses on their
route arrive.
6.19.2007
Guelph
opts for high-tech cure for bus wait woes
CBC News
The 55 vehicles in the Guelph, Ont., transit fleet are the first
in Canada to be equipped with a Canadian-owned technology designed,
in part, to solve the classic commuter dilemma: "Will I miss
the bus if I grab a coffee?"
The
NextBus technology, to be officially launched in Guelph on Wednesday,
uses global positioning system data to track each bus. The location
of the vehicle is then combined with data and formulas predicting
when it will arrive at the stop.
5.16.2007
Best
Public Transit Stress Reliever
San Francisco Weekly
In the past, catching public transport in San Francisco meant
standing on a street corner for 20 minutes wondering when the next
bus would arrive, or if, indeed, it would arrive at all. Things
began to change in 1999 when the city started experimenting with
the NextBus automated tracking system. Until recently, the system
was only of limited use as it worked only on a few routes. But now
that it's expanding citywide, NextBus is taking much of the stress
out of riding Muni. Here's how it works. Passengers can log on to
NextBus' Web site, call Muni's information line, or check the LED
displays at some bus stops to find out in real time when the next
vehicle will be approaching a particular location. Although NextBus
doesn't make the bus come faster or more frequently, there's something
empowering about knowing that you have time to go grab a cup of
coffee before the next No. 22 arrives.
5.2.2007
More
Stations Get NextBus Access
Fox News, Washington DC
More Metrobus riders have the option of getting real-time information
on the buses they ride.
Metrobus
has added 25 routes in the District, suburban Maryland and Northern
Virginia to a pilot program launched on seven routes last November.
The
NextBus system allows riders to get wireless text messages detailing
when a bus running on a designated route will reach a specific stop.
Each bus stop on those routes has been assigned an identification
number.
5.2.2007
Metro
takes guessing game out of ridership
Examiner, Washington DC
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority officials announced
Wednesday that Metro has expanded a program that allows passengers
to access real-time information on its buses.
Metro
added 25 routes to the Next Bus system in the past month, giving
the system a total of 32 routes where customers can call 301-562-4669
or go to www.wmata.com to find out exactly how many minutes they
will have to wait.
Each
stop on routes that have been added to the program has signs telling
customers the stop's number, which they can use to find out arrival
information via phone or online. Display boards with the arrival
information have been installed at four bus terminals as well.
"I
think we will increase ridership, but I know we are going to increase
our customers' satisfaction," Metro General Manager John Catoe
said during a Wednesday news conference at the Pentagon bus terminal.
"On of the hardest things for bus customers is to be looking
down the street, wondering when the next bus will be coming. Now
our customers won't have to do that."
3.29.2007
Real-Time
Tracking Of All SF Mass Transit By Aug
KPIX / cbs5.com
Come August, commuters in San Francisco may spend considerably
less of their lives waiting for transit.
NextMuni,
which pinpoints the location of approaching busses and trains through
a global positioning satellite system, plans to include all of the
city's transit vehicles in its service.
The
NextMuni system, which is provided by Alameda company NextBus.com,
started out by tracking only Metro street car lines and the 22-Fillmore
trolley bus. On March 15, it added all street cars and electric
busses.
3.29.2007
Where's
the bus? NextMuni can tell you
San Francisco Chronicle
By Rachel Gordon
San Francisco's Municipal Railway may have a hard time running on
time, but at least the transit agency is doing more to let riders
know when their next bus or streetcar is due to arrive.
The
"NextMuni" system, which tracks the location of vehicles
via satellite, is now up and running on all the city's electrified
trolley bus lines. It had been available only on the Metro streetcar
lines and the 22-Fillmore, a trolley bus line that served as an
early test.
3.22.2007
City
says more are taking buses
Thousand Oaks Acorn
By Nancy Needham
The number of people on the bus grows and grows.
"It's
important people can rely on the bus," Watts said. "Buses
should arrive on time and leave on time."
To
make sure that happens, each bus now has a GPS tracking device so
that riders can look up their bus on the Internet to see exactly
where it is and what time it will be at a particular bus stop. Riders
can visit www.nextbus.com and see this information in real time
or have alerts about their bus sent to their cellphones.
3.9.2007
Metrobus
to Expand NextBus Arrival Service to More Routes
WashingtonPost.com
By Lena Sun
Metro is equipping 24 more Metrobus routes, including some with
the system's heaviest ridership, with the capability to tell riders
when the next bus is coming, officials said yesterday.
Metro
began testing the NextBus service in November on seven routes in
Virginia, Maryland and the District. Officials said the system is
about 90 percent accurate in predicting when buses arrive at stops.
Customer response has also been good, officials said.
10.26.2006
The
bus stops here ... in exactly 2 minutes
The Newark Star-Ledger
By Tom Feeney
Technology has taken the mystery out of waiting for the bus at Rutgers
University.
No
longer do the tens of thou sands of students who ride the university's
bus system each day have to crane their necks and peer into traffic
to see if their bus is coming.
Instead,
they can now look at digital screens hung by the shelters or at
their cell phones or PDAs to see when the next bus is due.
The
system, aptly called "Next Bus," provides riders with
up-to- the-second information about bus locations.
9.27.2006
Digital bus schedules rolled out
The Herald-Sun
By Beth Velliquette
CHAPEL HILL -- Shelly McClain stood next to the bus shelter
in front of the Caribou Coffee Shop on West Franklin Street reading
a bus schedule to find out when the next bus would arrive.
She
didn't need to do that.
A new
digital device inside the bus shelter shows when the next buses
are scheduled to arrive. It flashes the various routes and when
the buses on those routes should arrive at the stop -- "J arriving
in 19 minutes and 39 seconds, M arriving in 7 minutes and 52 seconds,
F arriving in 25 minutes and five seconds."
"That's
much better," McClain said after someone pointed out the new
"Real-Time" sign for her. "I think that's very helpful."
8.26.2006
Buses
will be tracked by GPS
News 14 Carolina
By Vernon Fraley
Chapel Hill bus riders are in for a treat. Gone are the days
when they would have to wait for the bus, now they'll know where
it is and when it will arrive at the stop.
"We
have equipped our 85 coach fleet with what we call automated vehicle
locating systems,” said Steve Spade of Chapel Hill Transit.
“It's a GPS tracking device that allows us to know where each
bus is and the bus actually knows what its schedule is supposed
to be."
The
town awarded a contract worth close to $1 million to Nextbus Inc.
Using GPS satellite tracking technology, passengers will be able
to look on the Internet or use their cell phones to check out arrival
times for buses. Students and other riders are calling it a breakthrough.
5.18.2006
Chapel
Hill Transit to enter digital age
The Daily Tar Heel
By Gray Caldwell
It is a dilemma that often affects students and local residents:
to wait for the bus or to not wait for the bus? So
in recent weeks, Chapel Hill has taken steps to help residents know
with certainty when to wait and when to walk.
The
town awarded a contract worth about $950,000 to NextBus Inc., a
California-based company that will bring GPS satellite-tracking
technology to Chapel Hill Transit.
Passengers
will be able to look on the Internet or use their cell phones to
see an approximate arrival time for their bus based on the NextBus
real-time tracking technology.
Steve
Spade, director of Chapel Hill Transit, said 14 bus stops - including
Manning Drive at UNC Hospitals and South Road at the Student Union
- will have digitized signs showing the estimated arrival times
of buses.
4.22.2006
Chapel Hill Transit to install digital bus signs
The Herald-Sun
By Emily Coakley and Jennifer Ferris
CHAPEL HILL -- At the bus stop, when you're not sure how far
away the next bus is, even waiting a few minutes can feel like hours.
For
Kim Manturuk, who rides from Franklin Street to a nearby park-and-ride
lot, not knowing when the bus will come often has her whiling away
the time when she could just walk the short distance to her car.
But
soon, Chapel Hill Transit riders at some stops around the community
will get real-time information on how far away their next bus is.
Kurt
Neufang, interim director of Chapel Hill Transit, which serves Chapel
Hill, Carrboro and the UNC campus, said the digital information
signs will help make the system more convenient for riders. Neufang
said he hopes the signs will be installed and working by August.
11.4.2005
Muni
to expand automated tracking system
San Francisco Chronicle
By Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer
Recent budget cuts may have forced Municipal Railway riders
in San Francisco to wait longer for their buses and trains, but
officials hope to ease people's anxiety by at least letting them
know when their next ride will arrive.
San
Francisco has been experimenting with the automated tracking "NextBus''
system since 1999 on a limited number of routes, but it now has
funding to expand the system citywide.
9.21.2005
Muni to expand ‘next bus' technology
San Francisco Examiner
By Marisa Lagos, Examiner Staff Writer
Two years from now, Muni riders may never again have to ask
that age-old question: "When is the next bus coming?"
The
solution is global positioning system, or GPS, technology, which
allows Muni to provide real-time information about when the next
bus is coming — and the next one, and the one after that. The
information is relayed to riders via electronic signs at Metro stations
and bus shelters. The system is currently in place on nine Muni
lines.
San
Francisco Transportation Authority director Jose Luis Moscovich
praised the program, saying that it "puts people back of control
of their own schedules."
"If
the bus schedules are less than completely reliable, at least you
know what to expect," he said. "You can choose whether
to wait for the bus or do something else. It makes a huge difference
in Muni's ability to compete for riders and keep people's loyalty."
11.2.2004
Websites Are the Ticket to Getting to Bus on Time
Los Angeles Times
By Gregory W. Griggs, Times Staff Writer
Glendale's system has been a success, said Jano Baghdanian,
the city's traffic and transportation administrator. Glendale plans
to increase the number of outdoor NextBus monitors by installing
them in half of 30 new shelters to be built next year.
"There's nothing more frustrating for a customer than to arrive at a bus stop and not know if they just missed a bus or how long they have to wait," Baghdanian said. "As long as people know when a bus is coming, they perceive the time to be shorter."
10.7.2004
Connecting Paper and Online Worlds by Cellphone Camera
New York Times
By Douglas Heingartner
Scanbuy and other scan-commerce entrepreneurs have launched a number of applications in North America. NeoMedia markets a product that lets clean-up workers click with a camera phone on a chemical drum's tag to learn more about what has been spilled. And enthusiasts are using a technology from an Ontario-based company, Semacode, for updates on bus arrivals. Volunteers have been placing the Semacode markers at bus stops in several American cities. When pointed at the code, a camera phone can connect to bus tracking data from a company called NextBus.com.
9.20.2004
New bus signs arrive at CU
BoulderNews.com
By Elizabeth Mattern Clark
For University of Colorado freshman Danielle Welch, who doesn't have a car, signs that post real-time updates on bus arrivals using GPS technology are already a simple fact of life. "I use them every day," Welch said, on her way to class after hopping off a Dash bus on Broadway. "I don't look at anything else but that. I didn't know there was a schedule."
8.21.2004
USC to use NextBus technology
The State.com
The image of USC students waiting for the cross-campus bus may soon fade into oblivion. That’s because a new technology called NextBus promises to eradicate the tedium and time drain of bus stops, revolutionizing a largely unpleasant, but necessary, part of campus life.
6.25.2004
NextBus: Father of fast pass nudges Muni into the future
San Francisco Business Times
By Sarah Duxbury
Ken Schmier is messianic about public transportation. His latest brainchild is NextBus. What if, he thought, there were some way of knowing -- from an electronic sign or logging onto a computer -- exactly when the next vehicle would arrive? How many people would leave the car in the garage to hop a bus if they could cut out the waiting?
Schmier's idea is popular with community and environmental groups, commuters and managers. Even unionized drivers told Schmier they like it. So he figured it out and patented the concept.
5.10.2004
CTA expected to approve bus-tracking test
Chicago Tribune
By Jon Hilkevitch
The answer to an age-old Chicago commuting question--"Where's the bleeping bus?"--is wending its way to your fingertips. The Chicago Transit Authority board is expected Wednesday to approve testing of data-communications systems aimed at the pinpoint tracking and management of the agency's almost 2,000 buses.
4.2.2004
Pelosi Secures $120 Million for Transportation Projects
PRNewswire
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi today announced that she secured $120 million for several key San Francisco Bay Area transportation projects in the transportation bill that passed the House of Representatives today by a vote of 357 to 65. The House bill will now be reconciled with the Senate bill. Projects include $4 million for San Francisco Muni's NextBus program that will provide precise, real-time arrival information for Muni vehicles at destinations throughout the city. Passengers and transit managers will be able to access this information via the Internet, hand-held
cellular devices and illuminated shelter signs. NextBus will reduce unnecessary waiting, provide vehicle on-time performance data to Muni management, and help operations managers restore normal service during disruptions.
4.23.2004
Boulder, CU share cost of NextBus expansion
DailyCamera.com News
By Mary Butler
The city of Boulder and the University of Colorado's Environmental Center are hoping convenience will persuade more people to ditch their cars in favor of transit. The two agencies are splitting the cost of a service that posts bus arrival times — based on satellite data that pinpoints bus locations — on electronic signs, the Internet and hand-held personal computers.
3.23.2003
Unlike buses, ideas sometimes ahead of time
Oakland Tribune
By Marc Albert
Schmier insists that the unreliability of transit is the chief reason people with an option, drive instead. 'For most people, waiting for a bus for 15 or 20 minutes is like adding a $6 or $7 cost. Add to that not knowing if a (scheduled bus or train) is ever going to come,'Schmier said. When people anticipate a long wait they can make other plans, without waiting fruitlessly and eventually swearing off public transit.
12.9.2002
Electronic signs to keep bus riders up to speed on arrivals
Daily Camera
By Mary Buttler
Anyone who has depended on transit for getting to work knows the feeling of paranoia that takes over when a bus or train doesn't arrive on time. "Is my watch right? Did I read the schedule wrong? Did I just miss it?" passengers wonder. The Regional Transportation District is testing a product that eliminates such uncertainty. Riders of the Route B between Boulder and Denver now have the luxury of knowing to the minute when the next bus is coming.
10.1.2002
New signs are the next big thing in bus travel
Miami Herald
By Brad Bennett
Broward's public bus riders are about to get some high-tech help. On some routes, an electronic network of signs will tell passengers exactly when a bus will arrive, down to the minute. Called NextBus, the program uses satellites to track bus locations.
8.13.2002
New system to track buses
Ventura County Star
By John Scheibe
Finding out when the next bus is coming is now only a few mouse clicks away. The Ventura County Transportation Commission took a technological leap into the space age Monday when it unveiled a global positioning satellite tracking system on 82 buses across the county. The NextBus system allows passengers to know down to the minute when the next bus will arrive.
7.31.2002
Best Antidote for Muni Woes
San Francisco Bay Guardian
When NextBus's digital signs first popped up at 22 Fillmore bus stops in 1999, people may not have known what to make of them. Were these signs, which showed the time remaining before the next bus's arrival, merely spitting out the laughably inaccurate Muni schedule? Nope. NextBus-equipped vehicles are tricked out with a GPS communications device, which tracks the exact position of each bus on a particular route.
4.15.2002
In fits and starts, tech takes on transportation
Washington Techway
By Lloyd Batzler
For riders on Washington Metrobus 34B, a Ballston to Farragut Square line that traverses Key Bridge and lurches through Georgetown, a real-time answer is a few mouse clicks away.
3.27.2002
Streetcar goes high-tech to tell riders of arrival
The Oregonian
By Bill Stewart
Portland Streetcar, in business for eight months, took a big step into the world of high-tech Tuesday. City officials announced the installation of a system -- involving satellites and a computer in Emeryville, Calif. -- that tells electronic signs in shelters when the next two streetcars will arrive.
1.18.2002
Get on the bus
San Francisco Business Times
By Lizette Wilson
Emeryville-based NextBus picked up speed recently, scoring a $9.6 million contract to outfit San Francisco's entire Muni transit line with global positioning system trackers and wireless modems by 2007.
12.23.2001
A word to dogged trolley riders, fast I-275 drivers Series: ASK DR. DELAY
St. Petersburg Times
By Jean Heller
How many times have you driven a Pinellas street and seen people standing at bus stops, craning their necks as they peer into oncoming traffic, willing the next bus to arrive? If you look for it, you'll see it every day. How cool would it be - and how much it would encourage people to use buses - if they could see when they arrive at the stop where the next bus is and how long the wait will be.
12.20.2001
Tracking system will go on all Muni lines
San Francisco Chronicle
By Ilene Lelchuck
Beth Detwiler is the envy of most bus riders in San Francisco. She knows exactly when her ride to work is coming. Digital signs mounted inside the Fillmore Street bus shelters, which are connected to a bus-tracking satellite system, answer for Detwiler the one question that vexes all public transit riders: When is the next bus coming?
12.19.2001
SF Adopts Wireless Bus Info System
allNetDevices.com
A system that delivers actual arrival times for public transportation buses and trains via wireless devices has been adopted by the San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI).
12.18.2001
City Avenue shuttle starts
Philadelphia Enquirer
BALA CYNWYD - The City Avenue Special Services District will introduce a $1-a-passenger shuttle service today that runs between City Avenue and Manayunk's Main Street. CART (City Avenue Regional Transit) will be launched at an 11 a.m. event at the Bala Cynwyd shopping center.
12.6.2001
GPS will tell riders if bus runs on time
Ventura County Star
By David Montero
Beginning in January, buses in Ventura County will be equipped with a global positioning system that tells riders waiting at stops -- in real time -- how long it will be before the next bus arrives.
9.24.2001
The list of Wireless 25 Innovator
Computerworld
By Sean T. Kelly and Allison Wright
The Transportation Department in Fairfax, Va., is looking to cut waiting times and boost ridership on public buses by using a wireless system that delivers real-time bus arrival and departure times to transit stops.
9.20.2001
NextBus Takes Another Industry Award
Transport News
NextBus Information Systems has been recognized again for excellence in the world of electronic media, taking first place in the American Public Transportation Association's Twenty-Second Annual AdWheel Awards competition.
9.10.2001
Bus Passengers Can See Signs Of the Future
Washington Post
By Lyndsey Layton
Then Abdullah saw a new, digital sign mounted in the bus shelter. It told him that the next Route 38B bus would arrive in 31 minutes, and the one after that in 54 minutes. "This is very good," said Abdullah, 41, who does not own a car and takes three bus routes each day from his home near Columbia Pike to his job at Bank of America near Court House. "It tells you what's really happening. This will really help us a lot."
7.24.2001
Transit
system to track buses
Balitmore Sun
By Larry Carson
Waiting for a bus is the epitome of boredom, but Howard
County's growing transit system is planning a high-tech innovation
intended to eliminate that empty feeling of not knowing when the
next bus will arrive.
7.23.2001
New
Technology Gives You Bus Locations Now
WBOC TV 16
By
Kat Harting
Bus ridership in Delaware is up more than six percent
over last year. In this week's Tech Support, we'll take a look at
some new techno-gadgets designed with the bus rider in mind.
7.5.2001
Bus
System Takes Worry Out of Wait
WashingtonPost.com
By Peter Whoriskey
Enhanced by wireless technology, satellites and the flavor
of science fiction, the Fairfax City CUE bus fleet has started to
inform waiting riders when their bus is coming -- not the scheduled
arrival time, but the actual arrival time, based on the location
of the bus and traffic conditions.
4.9.2001
A
Wireless Web Application Arrives
Internet VC Watch
By Paul Shread
WindWire and NextBus announced a partnership yesterday
to deliver WindWire's wireless advertising network to NextBus users
to target consumers based on location. Using NextBus's technology,
a commuter can determine exactly how much time they have before
the next bus arrives. With a few minutes to spare, an advertisement
from a nearby dry cleaner or store owner might prompt that commuter
to stop in.
3.27.2001
"Best
Of ITS" Annual Awards Finalists Announced
ITS Access
Judges from all disciplines in Intelligent Transportation
Systems have chosen 23 distinct finalists in seven categories of
the prestigious annual "Best of ITS" Annual Awards program for 2001...
DEPLOYMENT SHOWN TO SAVE TIME - NextBus Information Systems, Inc.
Real-time Arrival Information - provides real-time arrival information
on public transit through global positioning systems. Productivity
is increased as passengers can plan to arrive at the stop moments
before their vehicle arrives, without wasting time.
3.27.2001
Wireless
convention showcases untethered future
CNN.com
By Marsha Walton
A service called NextBus tells commuters with great precision
when their bus will arrive. With an Internet-enabled cell phone,
two-way pager or a handheld device with a modem, riders can find
out if the bus will reach their stop at the scheduled time. GPS
(global positioning system) technology and a tracking device on
every bus makes it happen.
3.22.2001
CTIA
2001: Customers call the shots
SearchWireless.com
By Lisa Rogak
Most Intriguing New WAP Product: NextBus Information Systems
introduced a WAP-based service that allows cell-phone users to receive
alerts to let them know when the next bus will arrive at the bus
stop, down to a number of predetermined minutes.
3.19.2001
Wireless
Web Slowly Luring WAP Users
San Francisco Chronicle
By Henry Norr
Some innovative WAP sites suggested by Jackie Peterson
of Cellmania: -- NextBus uses satellite tracking to offer the estimated
time of arrival for buses at selected stops along various routes
in specific U.S. cities, including San Francisco and Emeryville.
3.8.2001
'NextBus'
brings precision to commuting
Fairfax Times
By Courtney Sherwood
The system is called NextBus, and it will tell riders
at six heavily used CUE bus stops when the next bus should be arriving.
NextBus goes beyond the standard paper timetables posted at most
bus stops, as Aidan Smith, corporate communications manager for
NextBus, explained.
3.5.2001
Magic
Bus - With the help of high-tech tools, San Francisco takes the
gamble out of public transit
Federal Computer Week
By Eric Kulisch
In San Francisco, however, riders on the 22-Fillmore trolley
bus line don’t have to deal with that uncertainty. Instead of craning
their necks over the curb for signs of their lift, they can view
an electronic display mounted on or near their shelter that tells
them how many minutes until the next bus arrives.
2.15.2001
Firm
Tackles Timeless Query: `Where's That Doggone Bus?'
Wall Street Journal
By Mylene Mangalindan
Wouldn't it be nice to know your bus was going to arrive
in just about 10 minutes, giving you time to fetch a cup of coffee
or buy a newspaper beforehand? Now you can, at least in communities
buying a new technology from NextBus Information Systems Inc.
 11.28.2000
NextBus
wins Wap Award
WapForum.org
NextBus
wins Honorable Mention for "Best Use of WAP in a Consumer Application.
11.13.2000
Net
Services: It's Not Just News
BusinessWeek online
By Dennis K. Berman
Instead of simply repackaging news, a new generation of wireless
services is creating on-the-fly data that help you better interact
with the physical world. Using satellite technology installed on
public transportation, as well as predictive software tied to traffic
patterns, NextBus Information Systems Inc. lets wireless users know
when the next bus or train is actually arriving--for free.
11.8.2000
Please
Hold On - Sudden Stops Are Sometimes Necessary
Wired Magazine
By Glen Helfand
Patience is a virtue that's been eroded by advances in technology
- high-speed data lines, Pentium chips, instant Jell-O. Thankfully,
our accelerated paraphernalia has finally penetrated the mystery
of glacial public transportation.
10.18.2000
NextBus
nominated for WAP Award
Wap Congress
NextBus has been nominated for a WAP Industry Award for "Best
Use of WAP in a Consumer Application"
10.8.2000
Helping
Bus Riders With The Waiting Game
Washington Post
By Lyndsey Layton
But
a new technology could take the guesswork out of bus riding. Manufactured
by California-based NextBus Information Systems, it uses satellites
to track buses as they move in traffic and then transmits the information
to an electronic sign at the bus stop that tells riders how long
before the next two buses will arrive.
10.7.2000
Get
Online To Get On The Bus
Smart Computing
The information gathered from satellite tracking is available
at the NextBus Web site (www.NextBus.com), which is compatible
with several popular wireless Internet systems, including AT&T’s
PocketNet, Sprint PCS’ Wireless Web, Nextel’s Nextel Online, and
Verizon’s Mobile Web.
9.18.2000
Port
Authority hopes arrival signs suit commuters to a 'T'
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
By Joe Grata
Have
you ever waited and waited and waited in the Downtown subway, wondering
when -- maybe even if -- the next trolley will show up? The Port
Authority is testing high-tech equipment that would provide "real-time"
information for riders. That is, electronic signs at light-rail
stations throughout the system to show you when the next trolley
will arrive. It can be outfitted with a "voice" function, too, to
announce the times.
9.18.2000
Forget
the skeptics: WAP is here to stay
Computerworld.com
By Don Tapscott
A
smart, creative WAP application was recently implemented in San
Francisco. The transit service is using technology from NextBus
to track the real-time position and speed of buses, streetcars and
trains. Transit riders can now use their handheld devices to access
the NextBus WAP site to find out when the next bus will arrive at
their stop.
9.17.2000
Guesswork
taken out of catching the bus
St. Petersburg Times
By John Balz and Paul Dela Garza
The No. 1 question at bus stops across America: When's the
next bus coming? But not anymore. In San Francisco, riders
know the exact amount of time until the next bus arrives thanks
to digital displays mounted inside bus stop shelters. The displays
are linked to Global Positioning Satellites that track outfitted
buses along their routes. The technology comes from public transportation's
digitally hip, California start-up friend, NextBus, which showed
the product to lawmakers Thursday on Capitol Hill at the kick-off
for the Congressional Wireless Caucus.
8.30.2000
NextBus
and WebWirelessNow Introduce Real-Time Transit Arrival Info
MobileInfo.com
NextBus Information Systems, Inc. and its partners WebWirelessNow™,
powered by Xypoint, and AT&T Wireless Services™ have successfully
introduced real-time transit arrival information to San Francisco
transit riders. Using their wireless devices, these commuters can
now access real-time vehicle information, not just time schedules.
8.22.2000
This
gadget tells you when that bus will arrive
San Diego Union-Tribune
By Rick Levinson
Ralph
Kramden would love this: An outfit called NextBus will give you
real-time bus information if your have a wireless Palm, Internet-enabled
cell phone or any other device that can access the Web.
8.21.2000
Bus
Riders Can Wait in Real Time
InformationWeek
By Matthew G. Nelson
San
Francisco buses may not run on time, but at least riders can now
find out how late they'll be. As part of a new information from
NextBus .com, Bay Area MUNI passengers will be able to use PDAs
and cell phones to get real- time updates on a bus or train's whereabouts.
8.18.2000
Your
Bus is Thirteen Minutes Away: Go Get a Frappuchino
Unstrung.com
By
Gina Stanley
SAN
FRANCISCO – I hate waiting for the bus. You’re either
too hot or too cold. You can’t sit down and people with cars laugh
and stare at you as they drive by. Well, maybe that's just me. But
like millions of other people who use public transportation, I spend
aggravated, unproductive minutes of every day, peering in to the
smog-ridden horizon wondering, 'Where is that damn bus?'
8.15.2000
The
screen says your bus is coming
Geek.com
SAN
FRANCISCO – San Francisco-area bus travelers can now
tell exactly when their bus is coming by using their cellphones
or PDAs. NextBus Information Systems uses GPS devices on buses and
a highly-accurate computer modeling system to provide real-time
arrival information over the Internet, and now that information
can be accessed over wireless devices as well.
8.14.2000
Exact
fare - Red Herring Catch of the Day
RedHerring.com
By Rafe Needleman
SAN
FRANCISCO – A few years ago, I became more familiar than
I wanted to be with the whereabouts of the #41 bus in San Francisco.
There was one driver whose temper would flare daily when he hit
the lunchtime traffic jam on Union Street. He'd honk and lurch his
way through the crowded shopping district, annoying everybody.
8.14.2000
Wireless
Bus Passengers Get Arrival Times
allNetDevices
San Francisco wireless users can now use their phones and
handhelds to find when the next city bus will come along. The just-launched
NextBus service gives wireless phone and handheld users actual arrival
information at specific stops, not merely generic schedule operation.
Developed by NextBus Information Systems, the system works with
any device that handles text messaging or that supports Wireless
Application Protocol (WAP) or Handheld Device Markup Language (HDML).
The system also supports Palm's Web clipping technology.
8.11.2000
Wireless
Devices Key Into Muni Tracking System
San Francisco Chronicle
By Edward Epstein
SAN FRANCISCO – The Municipal Railway and thousands of
its passengers entered the world of wireless communications yesterday
with a new service that allows more people to get information on
when some buses and trains will arrive.
8.11.2000
Wired
Muni riders can track buses
San
Francisco Examiner
By Pia Sarkar
SAN
FRANCISCO – For all those who stand exasperated at their
stops wondering where their Muni buses are, now they can find out
- if they're properly wired.
8.10.2000
Cool
WAP Site of the Day
coolWapSiteOfTheDay.com
SAN
FRANCISCO – As some of you may have gathered from previous
remarks, I'm a New Yorker. And so, almost by definition, I'm obsessed
with transit. I can talk for hours about the history of the New
York City subways, I can give a detailed point-to-point between
any two locations in Manhattan from memory, and, like all people
who depend on mass transit, I get very, very irritable when I have
to wait too long for a bus or a train. So let me tell you why NextBus
is today's cool site in my book, and may one day be the Cool WAP
Site of My Lifetime.
7.13.2000
The
Muni to Get Award For NextBus System
San Francisco Chronicle
The
Municipal Railway will get a national award this week for installing
the NextBus passenger-notification system on parts of its Metro
lines and the 22-Fillmore trolley bus route. Using global-positioning-satellite
technology, the NextBus system, created by an Emeryville startup,
tells passengers at 16 bus and train shelters when the next Muni
vehicle will be along.
4.8.2000
Muni
Metro Tracking System Ready Riders will soon be able to see when
trains are due
San Francisco Chronicle
By Edward Epstein
SAN FRANCISCO – Muni Metro service plunges deeper into
the high-tech world Monday when [the NextBus] system, using satellite
global positioning technology starts offering the public information
on when cars will get to key stops on all five lines.
3.6.2000
High
Marks for Muni's Signs That Show When Next Bus Will Arrive
San Francisco Chronicle
By Chuck Squatriglia
SAN FRANCISCO – Those high-tech electronic signs that
tell riders on Muni's 22 Fillmore line just how long they have to
wait for their bus could soon pop up on the Municipal Railway's
five Metro lines…"They're a miracle," Brandon Cruz
said as he waited for a 22 bus at Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard
one night last week. "They take a lot of the stress out of
your life.
8.21.1999
Muni
Buys Satellite Tracking System Streetcar locator expected to help
troubled system reach its service goals
San Francisco Chronicle
By Edward Epstein
SAN FRANCISCO – The Muni's plan to improve subway service
took a new turn this week with the award of a $650,000 contract
to install satellite tracking equipment on all 144 streetcars. The
goal: to know where every car is, on the surface and underground.
By purchasing the Nextbus Inc. system -- the same one already in
use on a test basis on the 22-Fillmore trolley bus line -- by sometime
in October, Muni should be able to prevent that bunching and better
keep streetcars running on schedule.
6.3.1999
New
system tells when next bus is arriving, Pilot program aims to take
guess work out of riding Muni
San Francisco Examiner
By Katherine Seligman
SAN FRANCISCO – …Electronic message boards at 10
stops along the line were activated Wednesday, posting approximate
arrival times of buses for riders used to waiting it out…Riders
could gauge buses by using the electronic boards or they could log
on to an easily read Web site (www.NextBus.com) and time their departure
from office or home to the next arriving bus.
6.3.1999
Muni
Riders See Flash Of Hope Digital display signals that, yes, buses
are coming, and tells when
San Francisco Chronicle
By Edward Epstein
Muni rider Cynthia Durham beheld a modern miracle yesterday
at Sutter and Fillmore streets and pronounced herself amazed…
"Estimated
waiting time for next buses, 2 minutes and 6 minutes,'' read the
sign in the bus shelter. Sure enough, a minute or two later the
next bus arrived. The new technology, developed by high-tech startup
NextBus Information Systems of Emeryville, was finally switched
on yesterday …
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