Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
City launches BUStxt service
WINNIPEG — Bye-bye anxious waiting, hello text messaging: Today, Winnipeg Transit launched its new BUStxt service, an automated system that sends stop schedules to anyone with a cell phone and a texting finger.
The service comes on the heels of the installation last year of GPS-units that turn regular buses into so-called "smart buses," said service development manager Bill Menzies.
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"That allows the buses themselves to keep track of their own schedule," Menzies said. "If they're off their schedule, it automatically sends messages back to the system. Now, we want to push that back out to our customers so people can get real-time information."
Those developments also allowed Transit to erect real-time digital schedule boards at approximately 100 stops across Winnipeg.
The BUStxt service is no one-trick pony. Not only will it text times for a specific stop, but users can also search for bus stops near their current location by address or landmark and get detailed route information on a specific bus. You can even ask it when a bus will get near a specific intersection or landmark.
In a Free Press test, BUStxt replied to the request "times sb osborne@wardlaw" after about 15 seconds, providing the stop number and a list of the next 15 buses due in at the spot.
BUStxt was developed by Winnipeg Transit's own in-house programmers and came at "minimal cost," Menzies said.
More details on the BUStxt service, including a full explanation of commands, is available online at winnipegtransit.com. The service is free, though individual cell phone plans may charge to send the text.
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