Technology to let riders know when buses will be arriving in Queens will go live in the next few weeks, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced.
Bus Time has already been installed borough-wide in Queens and Brooklyn and adjustments are currently being made. The app will also let riders know where the bus they’re waiting for is at the moment. Bus Time is accessible on both desktop and mobile browsers.
GPS (Geographic Positioning Systems) have been installed in over 1,000 buses and 3,300 computers citywide, according to the MTA. Bus Time rolled out in Staten Island early 2012 and exapnded through Bronx, Manhattan, and some of Brooklyn’s routes.
MTA said October 2013 it would expand the service to Queens in the next six months and State assemblyman Phil Goldfeder has been pushing for the technology. Queens residents have some of the longest commutes in the city and Goldfeder has been an advocate for more transportation options in the borough.
“Waiting for a bus in Queens should not be a guessing game,” Goldfeder told Times Ledger. “Bringing the Bus Time app to Queens will encourage ridership and improve the overall experience of public transit by reducing travel uncertainty, which often leads to more Queens residents depending on motor vehicles as a means for transportation.”
Riders can also text an intersection to 511123 to receive local bus routes.
