Real time passenger information now available

New York State’s Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) Board of Directors is to roll out a real time passenger information (RTPI) pilot program for its fleet of fixed route buses, using automatic vehicle location (AVL) software to determine bus location and speed. Customers will be able to access real time transit information for CDTA fixed route services through the free CDTA iride mobile application for Apple and Android devices, through Google Maps’ mobile apps and maps.google.com, through
December 1, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
New York State’s 5909 Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) Board of Directors is to roll out a real time passenger information (RTPI) pilot program for its fleet of fixed route buses, using automatic vehicle location (AVL) software to determine bus location and speed.


Customers will be able to access real time transit information for CDTA fixed route services through the free CDTA iride mobile application for Apple and Android devices, through Google Maps’ mobile apps and maps.google.com, through the trip planner on its website or by speaking with a customer service representative at CDTA’s call centre. Customers will now see a gray clock icon near a route that indicates real time information is available.

Real time passenger information has been available to Bus Rapid Transit BusPlus customers since its inception in 2011. Customers can access real time information by downloading the free BusPlus application for devices operating on Apple and Android platforms. Customers can also access BusPlus real time passenger information through digital signage at stations, online, through text messaging, and via e-mail.

CDTA tracks its vehicles using GPS devices to report bus location data back to its servers. This information allows CDTA to estimate when the buses will arrive at a stop. If a bus goes off its regular route, the system may not be able to fully predict accurate arrival times.

“We are pleased to roll out the one thing our customers, partners and the community at large have consistently asked for,” said CDTA chairman of the Board David M. Stackrow. “Passengers will have a more convenient and reliable experience because they will be better able to track the services they are using and plan more effectively.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Virtual traffic management centres, a new direction in traffic monitoring
    January 30, 2012
    David Crawford picks up a new direction trend in traffic monitoring The surprise winner in the Traffic Management Centre (TMC) category of the recently-announced 2011 OSMOSE (Open Source for MObile and SustainablE city) Awards for European innovations in urban transport, is the Danish city of Aalborg - which doesn't have a TMC. Alternatively, one might consider its 'virtual' TMC as a signpost for the future in medium-sized cities.
    Read More
  • Keeping a watching brief over traffic flows
    March 11, 2015
    Monitoring traffic flows is set to become an even bigger challengebut a revolution in camera technology can help, as Patrik Anderson explains. By 2025 almost 60% of the world’s population will live in urban areas and in those cities there will be an estimated 6.2 billion private motorised trips every day. In order to manage this level of traffic growth, traffic management centres (TMCs) will need to both increase their monitoring capabilities and be able to detect traffic problems quickly, efficiently and r
    Read More
  • Tech advances create MaaS without compromise
    August 29, 2019
    Advances in technology make it possible for authorities to compile and maintain MaaS platforms cheaply - and without relinquishing control to third parties. Colin Sowman finds out more… It is increasingly clear that local authorities’ reluctance to implement Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is based on politics and finance. However, the technology underpinning MaaS is evolving rapidly and is presenting new solutions. At its heart, the political resistance comes down to the divide between the ethos of public
    Read More
  • ITS & Ethics: yes means yes
    March 4, 2019
    There is an increasing wealth of information available to create personalised transport solutions – and the possibilities are exciting. But, Andrew Bunn warns, ITS companies have a duty to be explicit in explaining what people’s data is going to be used for
    Read More

Highlighted Content