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 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
  • November 25, 2013
    Coming soon...real time passenger communication in advance of travel
    A partnership between UK payment and ticketing solutions provider Parkeon and Cloud Amber is about to deliver real time passenger information (RTPI) in advance of travel that the companies say is redefining the effectiveness of RTPI systems. The system developed by Parkeon and Cloud Amber enables over-the-air location tracking of buses, the deep integration with urban traffic management control (UTMC) data and two-way driver messaging. This bus-centric view means that operators are better able to manage
  • November 30, 2020
    Transport can build legacy of hope
    Racial and social injustice has come to the fore this year. Samuel Johnson, IBTTA president and Transportation Corridor Agencies CEO, explains what the industry can do to build ‘a legacy of hope and progress’
  • June 13, 2018
    Singapore plans changes to transit system
    Singapore has the third-highest population density in the world and the numbers are continuing to grow. The government knows that transit is vital: David Crawford investigates the city state’s Smart Nation strategy. Transport is the most important of the five domains identified as the pillars of Singapore's far-reaching Smart Nation strategy, launched in November 2014 by prime minister Lee Hsien Loong with the aim of reaching fulfilment by 2024. Roads account for 12% of the island republic's 719km2 land ar