The Observer, December 9, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 13
GPS system to allow students to track Greenies
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Starting next semester, students who use the Greenies will be able to determine the estimated time of arrival for different shuttles.
At seven Greenie stops around campus, there will be a digital display showing how long it will be until the next Greenie arrives, according to Richard Jamieson, associate vice president for Campus Services. The system is currently being installed.
The system will be able to predict arrival times to within ten to fifteen seconds of real time, according to David Elliott, manager of Access Services. The times of arrival will be available both at select stops and online.
"Over the past few years we have wanted to enhance service, particularly for student trans-portation needs," Elliott said. "We partnered with University Hospitals putting on our joint transportation system."
To track the buses, a global positioning system (GPS) will be installed on the 14 Greenies, including the evening shuttles and the Circle Link. Through already existing wireless communication towers, the system will then be able to use information from the GPS to calculate and accurately predict how long until the next bus arrives.
The predicted time can change based on variables such as how long a bus takes at a stop and what the traffic conditions are. The prediction is then relayed to the website as well as the public displays.
"Putting a GPS tracking system is an idea that has been floating around the administration for at least three years," John Michalko, assistant director of Campus Operations said.
The installation of the GPS on the Greenies started last week. According to Elliott, the system and maps will go online the first day of classes in January.
The stops that will be getting maps and displays are both of the Juniper Road stops, Lot 46, Thwing, Veale, Crawford, and Fribley. The Veale display will be in the entrance of Veale, while the rest will be outside at the stops.
In addition to displaying times for the next three buses, the displays will be able to post messages in the event of an accident. "The display will be in the form of X bus – X minutes, so that students will know if the next bus coming is a north shuttle, south shuttle, or any other shuttle," Elliott said.
Case will also be launching shuttle.case.edu so that students can check where Greenies are and see how long it will be until specific Greenies will arrive at a particular stop, Jamieson said.
The system has already been installed in major cities such as San Francisco as well as universities. The Cleveland RTA system is working with them to possibly use the system as well.
According to Jamieson, the cost for the university is a little over $100,000. The total cost along with UH is about $150,000, as well as some recurring costs.
Another change that the buses will be undergoing is color. In the future, the Greenies will be blue. The buses are called Greenies because they were originally green 15 passenger vans, according to Michalko. They will change to blue to distinguish from other "Provide-A-Ride" buses, all of which are white. All new buses purchased will also have a new display system on both the front and back that will be easier to read.
