Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Buses

Real-Time Bus Info: There’s Always Next Year

bus_display.jpgTime and temp? Check. Next bus? Still unknown.
Photo: City Room.

On Wednesday, the Daily News reported that Dov Hikind, State Assemblyman representing Borough Park, called the MTA "the worst agency" in the run-up to a fare hike hearing in Brooklyn. Shame on Dov for not shouldering any responsibility for adequately funding our transit system. But there wouldn't be such a receptive audience for his blame-deflecting ways if we had fewer stories like this: The MTA is aborting its latest plan for a real-time bus tracking system, reports NY1.

It's the second time the MTA has thrown in the towel on a trackingsystem. Back in 1996, a similar project failed, in part becausesatellite signals were lost in the skyscraper canyons of Manhattan --just one of many issues, the MTA says, that makes it difficult topredict arrival times.

"It's not just the urban canyons, but the schedules, the tightschedules, the headways, the traffic. The operating environment I thinkis the most challenging of any city's," said Sassan Davoodi, Co-ProjectManager, NYC Transit.

Real-time information would be a godsend for bus riders whose trips are all too unpredictable. London has it. Hamburg has it. Paris and Bogota have it. Why has it taken the MTA twelve years and counting to deliver this technology to New York? In prepared testimony to the City Council [PDF], the MTA's Robert Walsh described the timeline. The original 1996 project, which failed to produce "a reliable and working system," was not terminated until 2001. Four years later, in August 2005, the MTA awarded the second contract, which has now been scrapped.

On to the next candidate, Walsh said: "At this juncture, we are aggressively investigating and evaluating options that we believe may have the potential to meet the needs of our bus system."

Will the third time be the charm? After this latest setback, maybe the way to go here is to ditch the satellite GPS approach in favor of peer-to-peer networked sensors. That, or let the open source hive mind have a go at the problem.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

NJ’s Plan to Widen the Turnpike Can Really Break Your Heart

"I've lived in a lot of places and all of them have had neighborhoods destroyed by turnpike expansion. New Jersey is no exception," said one activist.

June 2, 2025

Car Harms Monday: ‘Gridlock Sam’ Says We Have Lost Our Lives to the Automobile

Take it from the former head of the city's Department of Traffic: If we restore valuable public space to the people, the result will be a healthier, happier, and more humane city.

June 2, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: Critical Mass of Rage Against the NYPD Edition

Scores of New Yorkers rode on Friday to protest the Police Department's criminal crackdown on cyclists. Plus other news.

Talking Headways Podcast: Bike Guides to Build Your City

Let's talk bike lane design guides, the importance of history, political will, and the stress of being an expert witness in court.

June 2, 2025

Cyclist: Cop Pulled a Taser During Summons Chase

In a dramatic escalation of the NYPD's criminal crackdown on bike riders, a police officer pulled a stun gun while chasing a cyclist for allegedly running a red light on a regular bike.

May 30, 2025

Albany Pols Seize the Helm(et)

Helmet laws remain controversial — they're the "common-sense" approach pushed by lawmakers who ignore that studies show they don't improve safety.

May 30, 2025
See all posts