CHRISTIE ADMINISTRATION EXPANDS ‘MYBUS NOW’ PROGRAM TO NORTH JERSEY BUS ROUTES
Real-time service information pilot now available throughout New Jersey
June 17, 2013
NEWARK, NJ — Marking the next step in the Christie Administration’s efforts to provide real-time bus information to NJ TRANSIT customers, NJ TRANSIT Executive Director James Weinstein today joined customers and invited guests at Newark Penn Station to announce the latest expansion of MyBus Now, the agency’s first real-time service information system for bus customers, to serve 110 North Jersey-area local/intrastate bus routes—making it available throughout the Garden State.
“MyBus Now places real-time bus location and arrival information literally in the palms of our customers’ hands, enabling them to make informed decisions about their travel, even while on the go,” said Executive Director Weinstein. “This next phase enables us to provide this customer amenity throughout New Jersey. The final phase will include bus service traveling into and out of the Port Authority and George Washington Bridge bus terminals by the end of the year.”
MyBus Now, which first launched in fall 2012 as a pilot program serving Trenton-area bus customers and was expanded in April 2013 to include South Jersey and Philadelphia-area bus routes, uses “smart bus” technology to provide customers with access to real-time bus arrival estimates to a specific bus stop within a 30-minute window. Customers can access the information in three ways: from a desktop computer through njtransit.com, from a web-enabled smartphone through the mobile version of njtransit.com, and via SMS-text messaging directly to their cell phones.
Starting today, customers of local/intrastate bus routes that serve communities throughout North Jersey will be able to use MyBus Now to access real-time service information.
No. 746 Ridgewood – Paterson
No. 752 Oakland – Ridgewood – Hackensack
NJ TRANSIT’s Hamilton Garage was selected for the first phase of the pilot program because of the relatively small size of its operations, and the fact that none of its bus routes intersect with other garages, provide an ideal testing environment. The success of the initial phase and the subsequent expansion of the pilot into South Jersey continue NJ TRANSIT’s path toward a full systemwide rollout of MyBus Now later this year.
Currently, the statewide agency is taking delivery of 1,145 new buses that are already equipped with smart bus technology provided by Clever Devices LTD. In addition, NJ TRANSIT has procured additional smart bus platforms to retrofit the remaining buses in the agency’s fleet, including those on routes operated by private carriers under contract to NJ TRANSIT.
The Clever Devices platform offers many operational and customer benefits, including automatic bus stop announcements, vehicle condition monitoring, passenger counting and real-time location reporting. The data provided through this technology will allow for greater efficiency in terms of scheduling, planning and maintenance of the NJ TRANSIT bus network.
MyBus Now builds on NJ TRANSIT’s “MyBus” system, which launched in October 2010. Based on a system of bus stop ID numbers—unique five-digit numbers NJ TRANSIT has assigned to each of its bus stops—MyBus enables customers who have cell phones with SMS (text messaging) capabilities to receive bus schedule information for a specific stop directly to their cell phones. Customers can obtain their bus stop ID online at njtransit.com, or from MyBus signs posted at bus stops statewide.
How to Use MyBus Now
From a desktop computer: Visit mybusnow.njtransit.com. Select either “bus times” or “bus map.”
Bus Times: Enter your five-digit bus stop ID or select your bus route, direction of travel and bus stop from the drop-down menus.
Bus Map: Click “Routes” and select up to 10 routes, or click “Find Stop” and follow the directions in the dialog box to view the real-time location of buses on a Google map. Buses are represented by bus icons that display an arrow to indicate the direction of travel. Hover over the bus icon to display the estimated arrival times for the next four bus stops. Click the bus icon for additional options, including links to “route schedule” (PDF of the bus timetable) and “route progress” (a timeline of the bus trip by stop).
From a web-enabled smartphone: Visit njtransit.com and select MyBus Now to view a streamlined version of the web page. Select your bus route from the list or enter your five-digit bus stop ID.
From a cell phone with SMS-text messaging: Text your five-digit bus stop ID to MyBus (69287). Instead of returning the next scheduled trips, MyBus Now will provide real-time information for routes in the pilot program. For all other routes, MyBus will continue to provide information for scheduled trips.
MyBus Now is also improving the functionality of NJ TRANSIT’s IVR (interactive voice response) system. Now, when customers call NJ TRANSIT at 973-275-5555, they can use the automated prompts to enter their bus stop ID number to receive real-time predicted arrivals 24/7 for stops within the Trenton/Mercer County area, South Jersey and Philadelphia area, and North Jersey local routes. For bus stops outside of these areas, customers will receive scheduled arrival information.
Systemwide Improvement to “My Bus”
As a reminder, MyBus customers can now receive schedule information for a specific route by texting MyBus (69287), followed by a space and the route number. For example, to find schedule information for the No. 73 specifically for the bus stop located at Newark Penn Station (bus stop ID number 18835), text MyBus (69287) the following text: 18835 73. The system will return only scheduled trips on the No. 73 route, even though the bus stop is served by other bus routes
