No. 001, March 2004

Planes, trains, and buses too  Commuters in St. John’s are about to get a real dose of high-tech convenience and reliability.  Metrobus will roll out its Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) System and expectations are it will eliminate much of the ‘unknown’ associated with riding the bus and operating the transit system. 

The first of its kind in Canada, the system incorporates the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to not only provide data relating to the location of transit vehicles within the fleet but also to report whether buses are running ahead or behind schedule times. "For public transit to really work for the operator and customer, the system must be reliable and efficient" says Metrobus' Manager of Marketing & Information Services Mark Chancey. "This technology not only allows us to know where vehicles are, but also to determine where they should be according to schedule, and report any differences to both the operator and the customer." Information on actual running times will be available to all users of the service through Metrobus' telephone information system and eventually through a textual representation on the company's website. Customers will be able to logon to the website and view running times of all buses in service at a particular time.

Twice named Canada's Transit System of the Year by the Canadian Urban Transit Association, Metrobus continues to develop ways to improve service delivery to customers. Besides the obvious customer service improvements, the system will assist in improving operating efficiency and on-time performance; Metrobus is expecting a quick return on its investment. The system will cost $1 million and have a useful life of about 15 years. Based on the experiences of other transit systems in the U.S. that have implemented similar systems (not GPS-based), the system will pay for itself in less than five years through a combination of ridership increases and savings in administration and operating costs.

Some question the applicability of this technology for a small transit system like Metrobus. "I would argue that systems our size can make more effective use of the technology then can the larger properties like Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver", says Chancey, "The larger centres have buses running every few minutes, so missing a bus isn't as big an inconvenience as missing one of our routes which in some cases run only once an hour. Combine waiting at a stop for an hour with a Newfoundland snowstorm and riding the bus becomes an unpleasant experience. This predictive adherence AVL system will take the 'guess work' out of riding the bus; customers will know exactly when to be at a bus stop."

Metrobus plans to approach other local businesses to demonstrate the technology and the advantages it offers. "There is room on our system for other businesses like taxi companies or the larger utilities that could make good use out of knowing where their vehicles are" says Chancey. "While they wouldn't use the predictive schedule adherence side of the technology the AVL portion alone would provide numerous benefits from both a financial and customer service perspective."

The full system has been installed and is being tested. Upon completion of the testing phase, Metrobus will begin rolling out the technology for use by customers later this spring.

Route information by e-mail  Customized route information is now available through a convenient e-mail reply service.  Visit www.metrobus.com/routes.htm and select the link to receive route information by e-mail.  Fill out the form, click submit, and one of our Information Services Representatives will respond promptly with the information you need.

Why are the bus stops full of snow?  It's tough getting around on foot during the winter in St. John's.  During the days following a heavy snowfall, we do clear snow from around shelters, but unfortunately, we do not have the manpower or equipment to clear the nearly 1,000 bus stops that are in the city.  Bus stops will be cleared once the City of St. John's clears sidewalks, however, this doesn't usually occur until all street clearing and widening has taken place - streets take priority over sidewalks.

Customer's Corner  A customer writes:  I would like to say that I take the bus every day whether it be to and from school or to and from work. I have done so for the last three years. I have never been so upset, disappointed, or frustrated with your service as I was yesterday (Jan. 15). I waited for the route 1 in front of the Field House for over 45 minutes in minus ten degree weather and strong winds. When the bus finally showed up I was told that I couldn't get on because the bus was full. The driver said another bus would be by "soon". Well 20 minutes later is not soon when you've already been waiting 45 minutes and you can't feel your hands or feet anymore.  This is outrageous considering that I spent $200 to be able to take the bus. It was not stormy out yesterday and the time of day was around 4:00 PM when route 1 is supposed to be passing by every 15 minutes. Why is it that you don't send out a special bus to pick up all the students waiting on the streets when you know that the other buses are delayed or stuck in traffic. I don't want to see how bad your service is going to be on days that it is actually snowing or stormy.

Metrobus responds:  We're sorry to hear of your experience yesterday, but there is simply nothing we can do to bypass traffic.  One of our employees left our offices on Freshwater Road between 430 and 500 pm yesterday evening (Jan. 15) and it took him 25 minutes to get to MUN.  The point needs to be emphasized that Metrobus cannot bypass traffic delays, and such delays occur on stormy days and the days that immediately follow; we have to wait it out like everyone else and unfortunately, our customers are the ones most affected.  None of our employees take any satisfaction knowing that our customers are waiting in the cold, often for extended periods during storms and the couple of days after.  We don't use the weather as an excuse for unreliable service.  The delays we experienced this week are an unfortunate result of slow moving traffic and there is no real solution. On a regular day, I think most would agree that our system operates quite well.
Your suggestion to send out a special bus won't work. It wasn't just the route 1's that were stuck in traffic...delays were reported all over the city and additional buses would also become quite delayed.  Please call Ride Guide at 722-9400 before heading for your bus stop, whenever possible, and find out the latest information about a particular route by pressing zero and speaking directly with an Information Services Representative.  These employees have access to real-time information about the operating results of all buses in service.  We are presently testing a web-based version of the software they use and once completed, we will be making the information available through our website and on Ride Guide so all customers can easily find out real-time information about their buses.  This should help cut down on some of the waiting times during inclement weather.

One other point, please be sure to dress appropriately for the weather.  Standing at a bus stop for any length of time can be that much more comfortable wearing the right clothing for the conditions.