Real time information service to be launched in April Metrobus customers can soon click on Metrobus Dot Com and find out if their bus is running on time.  The new information system has been installed and is being tested and according to Metrobus’ Manager of Marketing & Information Services, Mark Chancey, the new web service will be available beginning April 1st of this year, another first for a Canadian transit property.  “We’ve branded our AVL web service as ‘TimeTrack’ and have developed a logo that will make it easy for customers to locate the service on our web site.” says Chancey. “We’re excited about the launch and we believe customers will be just as excited about, and will make good use of, the new TimeTrack service.”

A lot has been happening on Metrobus’ website (www.metrobus.com) lately to excite Metrobus customers. In 2001 Metrobus opened its ‘e-Store’ allowing customers to purchase transit passes through a secure connection and have them mailed to the address provided by them. Last fall, Metrobus introduced the ability to receive personalized route and schedule information by e-mail. Earlier this year, Metrobus began issuing ‘e-News’, it’s new customer service letter via email, and the latest service initiative, introduced in February of this year, is a live chat service allowing visitors to the web site to ask questions and receive answers in real time during their visit.

“Our goal over the last 18 months has been to get customers to our website by building the best website in public transit, period. Today we receive upwards of 50,000 visits each month and our web site is the most efficient way for us to respond to customer inquiries,” says Chancey. But he cautions that simply putting up a website will not instantly move customers to visit and if they do visit, it isn’t a guarantee that they will come back - nor can a good website mask poor service on the street. “Customers want substance when it comes to a transit web site and you have to provide sound reasons for them to visit”, says Chancey “a website that provides static information about a company’s services has limited use, and is quite frankly, boring from a customer perspective. A website on the other hand where you can buy a pass, find out if your bus is running on-time, ask a question and receive an answer in real time, read the latest comments made by other customers, apply for a job, get today’s news headlines, and the like, will encourage many first-time and repeat visits. Your website should be able to answer most of the questions that would be asked by one of your customers.” 

Work continues enhancing the company’s web presence, formally branded as Metrobus Dot Com. The next piece of the puzzle will be installed and running early in 2005 when a real-time trip planning service is introduced. “We envision a service where a customer will enter origin/destination information and after submitting a form, he or she will receive back the required routes to complete the trip, along with the current running times for those routes and an offer from us for the customer to ask a question about the trip in real-time through our live chat service. All of this would take only a few seconds. I’ll be satisfied when this is up and running that Metrobus Dot Com is the best web site in public transit.”  When asked why the Internet has become such a large part of Metrobus’ plans, Chancey simply responds, “We’re becoming a web-based world and transit properties need to acknowledge this fact. A large portion of our ridership comes from post secondary students and all of these customers are ‘connected’ and quite savvy when it comes to Internet use.” And for those customers that are not on-line today, Chancey believes it is likely they will be within a couple of years. “When they do connect, we’ll be here, at Metrobus Dot Com to provide the high level of service that they will have heard so much about – we’re just getting our house in order before all of our guests arrive."

Reflecting on how technology has changed Metrobus’ focus on the information services it provides, Chancey adds, “It’s kind of funny – when we started our website in 1995 it was set up as a service to complement our other information services channels. Today, however, I think all of those other information services channels are in place to complement our web site.”

And the wheels keep turning at Metrobus.

Live Chat Service introduced  We've launched an exciting new information service on our website. Now you can ask questions and get the answers all during the same visit to Metrobus Dot Com.  Visit www.metrobus.com/chat.htm for more information.

Metrobus General Manager named Atlantic Regional Chair (Toronto, Ontario)  The Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Judy Powell, General Manager of the St. John's Transportation Commission (Metrobus), as Chair of its Atlantic Regional Committee. 

The appointment took place at CUTA's November 2003 Board of Directors meeting in Toronto.  Ms. Powell has been an active participant in CUTA activities and committees throughout her transit career at Metrobus. As Chair of the Atlantic Committee she will be responsible for the committee’s role in information sharing among its members in addition to representing the region at the association’s national level.  As Atlantic Chair, she also assumes a position on the CUTA Board of Directors.

“Judy Powell has been a strong supporter of transit, and an active voice within CUTA,” says Michael Roschlau, CUTA President and CEO. “ We’re pleased she accepted the appointment as Atlantic Chair and as a Board Member.”  ”Metrobus is a respected leader in the Canadian transit industry, most recently for showcasing its innovation in implementing a new Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) system,” adds CUTA Chair Eric Gillespie.

The St. John's Transportation Commission (Metrobus) is hosting the CUTA Annual Conference from June12 –16, 2004 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The theme of the conference is Connecting in Real Time.

CUTA is celebrating 100 years as The Voice of Urban Transit in 2004. It is the association of providers of urban transit services, suppliers and related organizations of Canada.  Its mission is to establish public transit as the primary solution to urban mobility in the achievement of sustainable transportation, and to assist its members in the fulfillment of their mandates.

Customer's Corner  A customer writes:  Just wanted to compliment you on your well-organized website. I was very impressed with how easy it was to find the route information that I needed. Congrats!

Metrobus responds:  Thanks for the comments. Our goal is just that - make it easy for customers to find the information they need. In addition, we have eliminated many of the images so our pages load faster for dial-up users. We've added some enhanced services as well with more on the way. We encourage all of our web customers to sign-up for our newsletter to read more about what's in store for our website and our service in general.