Skip to main content

Innovative transportation award for New York’s MTA BusTime

Transportation consultants Cambridge Systematics have been presented with the 2012 Innovative Transportation Solution of the Year for MTA Bus Time, New York City’s real-time bus customer information system. The award, presented by the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) Greater New York Chapter, recognises organisations for their efforts in enhancing the transportation industry in their community through innovation and creativity, and providing value. Cambridge Systematics and partner OpenPlans Transporta
February 6, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Transportation consultants 5673 Cambridge Systematics have been presented with the 2012 Innovative Transportation Solution of the Year for MTA Bus Time, New York City’s real-time bus customer information system.  The award, presented by the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) Greater New York Chapter, recognises organisations for their efforts in enhancing the transportation industry in their community through innovation and creativity, and providing value.

Cambridge Systematics and partner 5675 OpenPlans Transportation developed and currently manage the MTA Bus Time software that takes real-time data feeds from over 3,000 buses and manages and delivers bus location information to riders via smart phones, text messages, and web sites. The initial deployment in Staten Island was completed in only five months, and the system is rapidly expanding citywide.

“Delivering real-time bus information to MTA customers across New York City presented a tremendous opportunity,” said Jennifer Strasser, Cambridge Systematics’ New York office director and WTS member. “We’re excited to contribute to an improved experience for millions of bus riders, and honored to have our efforts recognised with this award.” Eric Ziering, director of software at Cambridge Systematics, said, “The success of this project results from an outstanding collaboration among MTA, Cambridge Systematics, and OpenPlans staff.”

MTA Bus Time is an open-source project, and the underlying software platform includes open interfaces that make real-time bus data available to third-party application developers. The data feeds from MTA Bus Time also enable the agency to improve operational efficiency, scheduling, service management, and emergency response.

Related Content

  • March 10, 2023
    Platform announcement: public transport is running 10 years behind schedule
    Public transport worldwide is under pressure on a variety of fronts. Jon Salmon of Snapper Services UK explains why the industry should look more at data – and pick up some tips from the retail sector
  • September 8, 2016
    ITS World Congress Hall of Fame winners
    The ITS World Congress 2016 Hall of Fame winners have been announced and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 23rd ITS World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, 10-14 October, Melbourne, Australia. The Awards recognise individuals, industries and local governments striving to set the bar higher and enhance the end user experience. Local solutions often have wider applications, ensuring international transport, safety and technology improvements, enhancing liveability in cities and communitie
  • May 17, 2024
    Picking it up as we go: how transportation agencies can learn from university research
    JTA Research Lab has been created to identify critical transportation policy questions, and get academics to help solve them. Pencils sharpened? Nathaniel P. Ford explains…
  • March 16, 2012
    New York to pilot cordon-based congestion charging
    From 2009, if all goes to plan, New York will run a three-year cordon-based congestion charging pilot - the first in the US. Upon accession, US Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters signalled her intention to continue her predecessor Norman Mineta's initiative to specifically target road congestion. And, with initiatives such as the US Department of Transportation's (USDOT's) Urban Partnership Program actively promoting tolling as a part of a compound solution to the problem, the way was opened for the co