Track city buses with latest app
New tracking technology will make redundant the days of nervously waiting for a bus to appear... and wondering if you just missed one.
Waikato Regional Council is upgrading its fleet so Hamilton passengers can track buses in realtime with a Smartphone app.
There will be no need to arrive 10 minutes early and no reason to think you’ve missed your ride altogether.
The app is one of a raft of changes being put into place over the next five months, said Waikato Regional Council public transport manager Andrew Wilson.
‘‘The changes are aimed at making bus travel easier for passengers by providing real-time travel information and streamlining routes and services,’’ Wilson said.
As well as the app, other tech improvements include a trial of new real-time information street displays at some bus stops in the city.
There will also be new and refurbished buses with on-board CCTV cameras and free wifi for passengers. That will be phased in between now and January 2018.
Changes in bus routes are under way and passengers who regularly use the service should be aware, WIlson said.
‘‘The changes will have implications for some existing users, so it’s important people understand how the changes might affect them.’’
A number of routes will be redesigned and will come into effect on September 30.
Some routes will be merged with others so higher-demand areas can be better served. Other routes will be simplified, making them more direct. In all, 14 routes will be affected.
The Orbiter, Hamilton’s busiest route, will run every 15 minutes between 6am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, and every 25 minutes or so from 6pm to 9pm on the same days.
More seats will be available on the Orbiter at peak times, but near University of Waikato, it will skirt around the old route on Knighton Road and Clyde Street, bypassing Old Farm and Cameron roads.
The Orbiter will will cease to run on Peachgrove Rd between Ruakura Rd and Clyde St, but students will still be able to catch the Orbiter school-assist bus.
Low passenger numbers on the No.15 Ruakura bus will see it withdrawn from use. For full details, go to busit.co.nz.