Bus riders in Greater Victoria will get more accurate information from the online NextRide bus-tracking system thanks to a technology upgrade in January, says B.C. Transit.
Starting Jan. 15, new automatic vehicle location hardware will be installed on buses to give riders real-time locations of buses and more accurate bus-stop arrival times.
New digital full-colour passenger information displays will also be installed inside all heavy-duty and high-capacity buses, providing trip information to passengers such as multiple upcoming stops, current route and service alerts.
No service interruptions are expected during the replacement process, and riders will continue to have the ability to use mobile devices and desktop-computer services to see the real-time location of their bus along its route and its predicted arrival time at a stop, B.C. Transit said.
The transit company said the NextRide desktop trip-planning tool will no longer be available starting Jan. 16. But customers who prefer using a desktop computer to plan their trips can use the trip-planning tool on B.C. Transit’s website, bctransit.com, which uses Google Maps.
The $16.8-million NextRide technology replacement project is being cost-shared by all levels of government, with the federal government contributing half, the province 40% and local governments 10%.
For the most current route information, B.C. Transit recommends using the Transit app (mobile only), Google Maps (desktop and mobile), the B.C. Transit website or the Umo Mobility app (mobile only).
