New bus and light-rail signs across the valley will soon feature a code that can be text messaged to alert passengers of upcoming arrival times.
NextRide, a new program by Valley Metro, uses a GPS tracker to show the next arrival time of a bus or light rail. Passengers can call or text message a unique number at each stop.
NextRide is being installed at all 7,465 Valley Metro stops. Installation began Aug. 4 of this year and is projected to end in January 2012.
The Valley Metro Customer Services call center receives more than 8,000 calls per day, with 55 percent of calls asking about arrival times, Valley Metro customer service manager Scott Wisner said.
“It can be frustrating when you’re not sure when the train will arrive, and I can see commuters being satisfied with the new texting option,” recent Cronkite School graduate and frequent light-rail rider Alyssa Weinglass said.
Two hundred signs have already been installed on Route 3, according to Valley Metro’s website.
Since each stop has a unique five digit number assigned to it, the process is very accurate, said Wisner.
NextRide will benefit commuters by making them aware of their approximate travel time, said Jon McMorris, ASU’s Family and Human Dynamics Supervisor.
“I will expect a call from any of my employees that commute by bus or train if they are going to be late once the technology is fully in place,” McMorris said.
Once fully operational, the automated system will allow 80 percent of customers to receive the information inquired about rather than speaking to a live customer service agent, according to Wisner. The other 20 percent may need personal help, depending on the “complexity of their inquiry,” he said.
According to Wisner, the budget for the project was $300,000. A federal grant from the Job Access Reverse Commute program paid for 80 percent of the project.
The remaining $60,000 came from Proposition 400 funds, the countywide half-cent sales tax approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004. The proposition was designed to help build a regional transit system.
Cities including Denver, Portland and Washington, D.C., have applied similar programs, reporting an 80 percent success rate.
Contact the reporter at kendra.yost@asu.edu
