CATS adding GPS system for riders to track buses

Soon, bus riders in East Baton Rouge Parish will be able to get real-time updates on smartphones and computers about the location of Capital Area Transit System buses.

CATS officials said they are putting the finishing touches on a series of technology upgrades they’re preparing to unveil at the end of the month — the most transformative change being the addition of GPS, or global positioning systems — on the agency’s 79 vehicles.

Brian Marshall, chief administrative officer for CATS, said the agency’s biggest problem has been long wait times and the uncertainty of when buses would arrive at stops.

“Now, that’s entirely taken away; now, there’s absolute certainty,” Marshall said. “We can let them know when a bus is coming up to a 15-second margin of error.”

CATS contracted with RouteMatch Software, an Atlanta-based company, about five months ago for $1.4 million.

The entirety of the contract, with the exception of operational costs, is covered by federal economic stimulus dollars.

Kiran Vemuri, planning manager for CATS, said the agency will pay about $15,000 a year in operational costs to run the system.

Vemuri said CATS has wanted to install the technology for more than three years, but has lacked the funds for operational costs and local matches. He said the passage of the 10.6-mill property tax in April in Baton Rouge and Baker ensures the agency is able to continue to support the service.

Customers waiting for buses will be able to pull up a live map that shows the destination of their bus, and an estimated time of arrival.

Each of the 59 buses and 20 paratransit vehicles, which are used for disabled riders, has been outfitted with a GPS; LED panels displaying approaching intersections and destinations; automated speakers that announce approaching destinations; and digital passenger counters.

The CATS terminal on Florida Boulevard is now outfitted with digital signs that will eventually tell waiting passengers how many minutes they have left to wait for the next bus. The terminal is also outfitted with two LCD monitors that mimic departure and arrival time screens in airports, with a complete list of route information.

Vemuri said eventually more monitors will be positioned when CATS establishes its new transfer centers in locations like Cortana Mall, the Mall of Louisiana and Southern University.

Vemuri acknowledged that a large segment of CATS’ ridership may not have access to a smartphone, but he said eventually CATS plans to expand the service to include text updates, so riders using a cellphones can text a number and receive an immediate response about how far away their bus is.

Marshall noted that the addition of GPS could encourage riders who have access to vehicles to try the bus instead.

The technology will also ensure that dispatchers at CATS know the location of each bus, allowing them to make adjustments if a bus is running late, Vemuri said.

Tim Quinn, executive vice president for RouteMatch, said his company’s software system is used in 48 states and more than 550 bus systems. He said that when the technology is added, systems typically see increases in ridership and overall rider satisfaction.

“There’s anxiety in not knowing, associated with public transportation,” he said. “Buses run late, airlines run late. The challenge is in not knowing, but this eliminates that.”

The technology also allows CATS to update many of its operational tasks, like scheduling and data collection. Where many of those tasks were done manually before, with Excel spreadsheets, now information is automated in their computer system.

“Everyone talks about GPS, but it’s really a small component as far as the technology,” Quinn said. “It’s creating the technology foundation so that CATS can scale up into all sorts of other things.”

GPS technology is something CATS promised it would add in its tax campaign last year. CATS officials said they would use the tax dollars generated for systemwide improvements and expansions that included more reliable service and eventually reducing wait times at peak hours from 75 minutes to 15 minutes.

Marshall said the GPS service will provide a major difference in service.

“You couple this innovation with the route changes we have planned, and we’re going to have a dynamic system,” Marshall said. “But take it as it is, and it already makes what we have 1,000 percent better.”

Comments

1) Comment by DMJ - 22/01/2013

What good is a bus running "on time" (not an easy thing to do in BR traffic, by the way) when "on time" is every 75 minutes? Anyone who has taken public transit knows that there is no such thing as "on time." It comes when it comes. There are too many variables that make it difficult, if not impossible, to maintain a schedule that's accurate down to the minute. Think about it.... accidents, construction, a waste pickup service that is running late, etc. Having real-time GPS locators shows someone exactly where the bus is and takes some of the uncertainty out of the prospect of having to wait for the bus. Besides, this is part of what CATS promised they'd do if they got the money from the tax election. What are they supposed to do... NOT have GPS locators? You know....if I didn't know any better, I'd say you guys want this to fail so you can say 'I told you so.' Hmmm....

2) Comment by hemogoblin - 22/01/2013

more @ Atilla, I've heard of people being robbed in and around grocery stores and WalMart, but NEVER on a CATS bus. I am looking forward to GPS and saving lots of money on gas!

3) Comment by Chucky - 22/01/2013

Have the bus run on time, Then do not need GPS.

4) Comment by nimby? - 22/01/2013

on certain phone apps there is a surcharge . could this be passed on to those using mobile devices ?

5) Comment by DMJ - 22/01/2013

Years, yes. Money, no. We've been through this. They've been underfunded, hence the tax election. Besides, the tax has an expiration date. Ask me again then what I think should be done about any future taxes to fund public transit. Unfortunately, I can't tell the future. And not everyone who rides the bus or who might ride the bus if they knew when it would arrive is poor. That's the point. Think about it. Let me help... A guy has an iPhone...wants to take the bus but doesn't because he doesn't know when it arrives....he checks the app...sees that the bus is down the street and will arrive in 10 minutes....catches the bus. Starting to make sense?

6) Comment by foldgers - 22/01/2013

They have had YEARS to become halfway decent. If they were half way decent before the property tax bill was voted on, I may have actually voted for the tax so it would be decent...LIKE THEY PROMISED us if the tax was passed. Now you will be happy if they are just halfway decent? Then when they get to halfway decent, you and others like you, DMJ, will be asking for more increases in taxes to make it decent, right?

7) Comment by The_Host - 22/01/2013

LMAO "halfway decent" nothing like shooting for mediocrity eh DMJ. They will show them who was right and who was wrong on the issue. A bus system that is just mediocre with a tax burden that is not. You should run for office your Campaign for Mediocrity fits right in with your party ideals.

8) Comment by foldgers - 22/01/2013

Wait, so, the riders not only can afford smart phones, but afford the $100 a month plans that come with unlimited data so they can access internet to track the buses? Yet, they could not pony up an extra 10-25 cents per ride??? Wow.

9) Comment by DMJ - 22/01/2013

LSU put GPS tracking on their buses. Everyone seems to love them. It makes taking the bus more convenient and takes the biggest obstacle of taking the bus - uncertainty - out of the equation. Plus, it'll increase ridership. People avoid taking the bus because they don't know when the next one's coming. Now they will. Despite all the juvenile and predictable protestations and feigned outrage, this is a good thing. Combine this with more buses, more routes and transfer centers, CATS has a chance to become halfway decent.

10) Comment by Attila - 22/01/2013

Thanks hemogoblin. I will sleep better tonight knowing that I can start using the bus and at least one of my fellow riders won't try to rob me...or worse.

11) Comment by hemogoblin - 22/01/2013

@Atilla: I ride the bus. I promise I won't hurt you or steal your smart phone

12) Comment by BR is Ruined - 21/01/2013

They don't have smartphones!? Y'all are joking right? Every time I check out at Walmart I see someone using a smartphone with one hand and swiping their EBT card with the other. I mean why not get one when you don't have any bills to worry about! I've actually seen many with a smartphone AND a government phone! Shameless...

13) Comment by serenade - 21/01/2013

I don't know why I am bothering but...First, as has been pointed out many, many times, the "free cell phone" thing is not a program of the Obama administration. It is an extension of the Lifeline that began in 1984 (Reagan administration, if you'll notice), that provided free or very low cost home phone service to the elderly or people with low incomes. When cell phone service expanded and rates dropped, they extended the program to include cell phone service. In fact, the cell phone part of the program started in 2008 under George W. Bush. Second, before I moved here I didn't own a car. I could get everywhere I needed to get in the city I lived by bus. And in 20+ years of riding the bus (I started riding it by myself when I was 12), I was never harassed, robbed, or otherwise bothered, and I rode the bus through some not-so-good neighborhoods. Not only was I never bothered, people you wouldn't expect treated me with kindness and chivalry. I wish I could still get around by bus. I hate paying so much for gas and maintenance on my car. Oh, and not every major city has a bus route to the airport. Because transit funding has been cut at the federal, state, and local levels, many transit systems have had to discontinue their airport service.

14) Comment by CitizensArrest - 21/01/2013

"If you pay property taxes, pay for your own smartphone, and are within walking distance to a bus stop, why wouldn't you consider checking the bus schedule to see if the bus is available to your destination of choice around town?" Because I want to get to my destination on my schedule maybe? And because I son't want to spend 1.5 hours making what would be a 20 minute trip in my car? Because time with my kids trumps sitting on a bus? Just some personal reasons why I don't ride the bus. And again, what is the point of this? So the bus riders can call people and tell them how late they will be?

15) Comment by Ivy - 21/01/2013

A route to the airport is needed, some folks WORK there, kin ya imagine that and they all ain't ATCs, either. And what irony - I can afford the fancy phone with all the apps, but darn if I can operate more than two or three of 'em so I'd be waiting at the bus stop totally in the dark as to where it was and how soon it would arrive. And wait, is it true that in BR the buses go door to door? So's folks can just get off the couch and step outside onto the bus? That must be why there are FEW benches or covered stops that bus patrons can utilize.

16) Comment by Chucky - 21/01/2013

Yes, traffic woes soon to be a forgotten past, thanks to CATS, and soon i will be able to know how late the bus is going to be instead of just guessing how late it will be. What a marvel the 21's century.

17) Comment by Straight Shooter - 21/01/2013

So the GPS addition is only implemented for poor folks? Great, I will add this silliness to the myth that free phones started with the Obama administration. Whether you support the CATS tax or not, wouldn't you want the system to offer incentives to promote growth in revenues from who pay their bus fare? If you pay property taxes, pay for your own smartphone, and are within walking distance to a bus stop, why wouldn't you consider checking the bus schedule to see if the bus is available to your destination of choice around town? You are already paying for your phone and taxes for the service. And if you don't consider the bus as your option, at least CATS is offering something to a greater base of potential riders and these riders will alleviate traffic woes that affect those who don't choose the bus.

18) Comment by Duckyluve - 21/01/2013

Typical CATS garbage. What did the fools who keep giving them more of their money expect?

19) Comment by KenfromCentral - 21/01/2013

I work hard to pay for my family's transportation needs and things such as cell phones. I am so tired of my taxes being used to pay for things people don't really need. Welfare, food stamps....people need to eat and a place for their family to sleep at night. I have no problem helping here. But CELL PHONES?? Come on. I see these booths giving away cell phones paid for by my tax dollars all the time down the street from where I work. Who really NEEDS a cell that can't afford one? And now my tax dollars are going to help fund a GPS system so someone can stay on the couch a little longer because they will know exactly where the bus is???? Give me a break.

20) Comment by Attila - 21/01/2013

@SuzanneMS: You evidently have more money than common sense. How long do you think you will remain in possession of that smart phone once you flash it on the bus? There a reasons that I would put my well being and possibly my life in jeopardy...riding a city bus sure ain't one of them...Oh do you know if or Imperial President's free cell phone plan is now giving away smart phones? I wouldn't put it past him.

21) Comment by Hello Baton Rouge - 21/01/2013

A route to the airport? LOL... how can you afford a plane ticket if you can't afford an increase in bus fare

22) Comment by CitizensArrest - 21/01/2013

CATS riders can't afford smart phones? Are you blind? And why do you need this GPS capability on a bus? You will get there when you get there. It's nice on plane (which the individual pays for) because there aren't impediments such as the daily flipped 18 wheeler somewhere on the BR Interstate system. Enough already. The bus riders aren't paying for these services one way or another.

23) Comment by phil - 21/01/2013

Also - "Kiran Vemuri, planning manager for CATS, said the agency will pay about $15,000 a year in operational costs to run the system." So they are going to add $15,000 a year of overhead costs, which will probably forever add to taxpayer's cost of running this bus system. This seems typical. Build a system that nobody can afford to support in the long term so a few extra people can ride the bus.and use their smartphones. Then compare the system with bus systems in "peer" cities, some of which have already had budget problems because they overbuilt their systems too. I guess the next step will be a highly-subsidized passenger train to New Orleans that hardly anyone will ride but we all will pay for, but can't afford.

24) Comment by Mr. T - 21/01/2013

Baton Rouge is the only city in the US where the bus system doesn't run a regular route to the local airport. Mr. Marshall promised to change that three years ago, but from what I can tell from the Advocate, there are no plans to add an airport route with money from the recent tax election. Of course, the Advocate has never told us what CATS was planning to do with all that money before or after the election, so who knows? Cousin Dave is right, CATS needs to scrap their outdated routes and come up with a new one that is designed to serve the entire population, and not just the poor. It is hard to say what is more pathetic, CATS or the Advocate!

25) Comment by phil - 21/01/2013

First they get a large property tax tax passed that incorrectly was sold as being a municipal tax. Then after the tax passed, they said they cannot implement the plan they had. Now, since they apparently are still too low on funds (according to CATS) to start all of the proposed routes, they want to waste money on this instead. I agree that poor people in theory probably do not have the money to have smartphones and/or cell phones, but remember, this is the USA where poor folks can get free cell phones (that I cannot afford). Of course, this GPS system will be paid with federal stimulus dollars according to this article - that free money from heaven. Oh I forgot, we pay federal taxes, and also the federal government is $16 TRILLION in debt already. So much for that "free" money theory. Also, the statement, "Brian Marshall, chief administrative officer for CATS, said the agency’s biggest problem has been long wait times and the uncertainty of when buses would arrive at stops." I disagree and think the main problem is poor planning, poor management and possibly the incorrect idea that taxpayers can actually afford all of this. On another subject, I doubt that privatizing the system will help, and that will probably just cost taxpayers even more in the long term and maybe make some connected folks a lot of money.

26) Comment by taylor2285 - 21/01/2013

This seems like a rare well-reported Advocate story to me. The writer lists several benefits to this comparatively inexpensive purchase: route scheduling improvements, dispatch tracking, and an eventual ability to text for time. I am a smart phone user who will happily begin using CATS once the new routes and schedule improvements are made over the next two years. Every major city in America uses this technology; I haven't been on a system before that doesn't have an app. It's standard fare in a modern world, one that Baton Rouge needs so desperately to join. And finally, for all of those complaining of CATS incompetency, the agency is fulfilling a mandate from the tax program, and they still can't win! Thankfully, I think the worst of this city's negativity is confined to the Advocate's comments.

27) Comment by Hello Baton Rouge - 21/01/2013

Hang on a second, hold up here, wait a minute. Didn't we put the burden of paying for CATS on the backs of taxpayers because (and this is the important part) the people riding the bus couldn't afford an extra 10 bucks a week or dollar a day? So tell me, Mr Wizard, how are these poor people without an extra buck to spare going to buy a $300.00 smart device (and pay the $100.00 per month to keep it on) that will allow them to track the bus that they can't afford to ride? Quite a quanrdy if I must say so myself eh? This city is so LOL

28) Comment by tradewinns - 21/01/2013

more bovine droppings. total waste of time and money. those who come up with these brillant ideas should be willing to stand behind them with their own resources, personal resources not their office resorces,

29) Comment by markedwardmarchiafava - 21/01/2013

Further proof socialism is alive and well in the Banana Republic of Louisiana, Bobby "jump ship" Jindal presiding.

30) Comment by Chucky - 21/01/2013

CATS needs to listen to the experts they hired and get rid of Marshal and other top management.

31) Comment by The_Host - 21/01/2013

Don't worry Obama is getting everyone an upgrade to the ObamaSmartPhonePlan later this year. GPS is all fine and dandy but it just tells you where something is, it doesn't shorten the length of time required to get from point A to point B. So now we will be able to see where buses are at any given time. If it still takes a couple of hours of riding to get a few miles what have we accomplished with the GPS? Glad it was paid for by "federal stimulus dollars" so it was free to us LMAO. Makes me wonder who owns the GPS company.

32) Comment by 8point6 - 21/01/2013

Ooppps! I almost for got. Happy MLK day!

33) Comment by 8point6 - 21/01/2013

AMEN to all three comments!

34) Comment by SuzanneMS - 21/01/2013

Like Cousin Dave, I'd take CATS, even without the new GPS, if it took me where I need to be when I need to be there and got me home again. And I can afford a smartphone, although I agree that Quinn should have said "this helps to eliminate that." They also need to add signs/displays at major bus stops. But read the entire article -- there are other benefits. "The technology will also ensure that dispatchers at CATS know the location of each bus, allowing them to make adjustments if a bus is running late" and "The technology also allows CATS to update many of its operational tasks, like scheduling and data collection."

35) Comment by Terd Handler - 21/01/2013

The people who ride CATS buses can't afford smart phones. This is a total waste of tax money. We oviously need new management.

36) Comment by tball - 21/01/2013

Taxes going up, new GPS system!

37) Comment by Cousin Dave - 21/01/2013

The biggest problem with CATS isn't the long wait times and uncertainty about when the buses will arrive, but the lousy routes that don't take most of us where we need to go...like the airport. Throw in lousy reporting by the advocate, and this whole deal is a waste of time.