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BC Transit is adding real-time technology in seven communities in British Columbia, which will allow passengers to track the location of their bus as it moves along its route.
The automatic vehicle location-enabled technology will be installed in Victoria, the Regional District of Nanaimo, Comox Valley, Kamloops, Squamish, Whistler and Kelowna. It includes an app that will let commuters see the location of their bus and its predicted arrival time at their stop.
The buses will also have automatic voice announcements and passengers information displays to let passengers know about upcoming stops.
The technology is being implemented so BC Transit can manage road delays, send alerts to customers in case of detours, accidents or other events, and help keep a reliable schedule. The system is now being designed and will be installed by Strategic Mapping by the end of 2018.
Closed-circuit TV’s and automatic passenger counters are also being added to BC Transit. The installation of the technologies is part of almost $160 million in federal and provincial funding for BC Transit projects, first announced in June 2016.
Alexa Huffman
