Revised app for bus riders offers new features

January 14, 2014

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A new version of a widely used mobile application may make catching the bus even easier for Regional Transit System riders.

TransLoc, a mass-transit technology company, last week released a new iOS app called TransLoc Rider that lets users set alerts for buses they need and makes it easier to find nearby buses, stops and routes.

“The new program is more streamlined and requires less clicks for the user,” said Ron Fuller, assistant director of Transportation and Parking Services at the University of Florida.

RTS and Parking Services partnered with Student Government to bring the app to Gainesville, and GPS units have been installed on almost all RTS buses.

“The program has been very well-received on campus and it has resulted in UF having among the highest number of daily ‘hits’ of all campuses served by TransLoc,” Fuller said.

Feedback from riders about earlier apps has been positive, but TransLoc rider is still too new to have garnered any reaction. However, improvements to the software seem promising.

Earlier TransLoc apps were cumbersome, especially for first-time or infrequent riders. Now, thanks to its location-aware technology, TransLoc Rider automatically identifies the bus stops that are nearest to the rider, the company said.

That makes it easier to get from one place to another. Using TransLoc Rider, a rider need not know the number of a particular stop to find out which bus to take.  Just by entering a few letters from his or her destination’s name, a rider can search all relevant stops and routes in a 25-mile radius.

The new app isn’t just a boon for occasional bus riders. People who regularly rely on mass transit can appreciate the programmable alerts the new app offers. A user formerly had to monitor the app to see when his or her bus was arriving.

A demo of the new app is available here: http://transloc.com/transloc-rider/