Better ways to plan your transit trips- GBT's online tracking tools

Greater Bridgeport Transit (GBT) is making it easier to take the bus by offering real-time bus tracking and trip planning strategies via their website, www.gogbt.com. 

TRIP PLANNING

GBT’s Trip Planner allows riders to figure out which bus will get them to their desired destination.  After putting in your origin and destination, Trip Planner uses Google Maps to determine the best route, and directs you to the nearest bus stop (Enter ntersections, street addresses or commonly known landmarks). 

For example, if I wanted to get from the Ferry Terminal to the University of Bridgeport, I’d enter in the information as seen below:

 

After pressing “Plan Trip” at the bottom of the page, Trip Planner gives me all the details about my trip including which bus I need, the bus route, and the approximate trip time.  There are also two maps showing how to get to the starting bus stop and how to get from the ending bus stop to my destination.  This is what it looks like:

 

BUS TRACKING

This tool allows anyone to figure out when a bus on a specific route will stop at a specific station.  The service can tell exactly how late a bus is running by using GPS tracking.  For example, if I knew I had to take the 1 Bus from the intersection of John Street and Water Street (right by the train station), I could enter the route number with my general direction and the GBT Bus Tracker can tell me when the bus will arrive:

No more waiting outside in the cold not knowing if the bus has come!

GBT is still testing out TripPlanner and Bus Tracker. Pease go to the Trip Planner and Bus Tracker webpages to use the tools and give GBT feedback.  The more feedback, the better the tools can work for the community!

These tools make the bus system work most efficiently for riders. GBT is hoping that removing some of the uncertainty about riding buses will increase ridership, and is working to expand digital services to text messaging or smartphone apps in the future.

Increasing the number of people who take the bus is a sustainable action that will spur other positives in the community.  Not only does it mean that fewer people will drive (reducing dependence on fossil fuels), it also means that people will walk more (to and from bus stops) contributing to healthier lifestyles. It also saves money and reduces the need for parking.

Similar digital tools are available for Metro-North riders. Two of our favorites are CooCoo, a text message schedule service, and schedule and fare information at www.bettermetronorth.com.