Shuttle revamp

GC shuttles get equipped with GPS, Wi-Fi and NextBus technology

Georgia College aims to make students’ commute from place to place around campus more convenient with the introduction of NextBus technology as well as Wi-Fi on campus shuttles.

NextBus technology is a system set up on shuttles and at shuttle stops to let riders know exactly when the next bus will be arriving at any given stop.        Shuttle stops the Maxwell Student Union, Arts & Sciences, Herty and Irwin Street have been outfitted with black marquee boards detailing the exact arrival of the next bus.

“We’ve known about NextBus for a while. Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia all use it,” said Director of Operations Greg Brown. “Over the last two and a half years we’ve looked into the efficiency of the smart system.”

These marquee boards consist of a two-line screen that sends time in minutes and seconds as to when the next shuttle will be arriving. GC will also have the advantage of using these boards to display urgent severe weather updates other important university messages.

The three most used shuttles have even been outfitted with Wi-Fi. Although its addition does seem futile for quick day-to-day trips around campus, the shuttles are also used for long trips by athletic teams. A strong urge from the athletic departments encouraged its addition for team enhancement during long rides, enabling the use of Internet for sports reviews and instructional support.

“We wanted to see if there really is a need for the Wi-Fi,” Brown said. “We only installed it on the three most commonly used buses which are also used for athletic transportation.”

With these new opportunities brought by technology also comes a steep price. Paid for by student parking and transportation fees, the NextBus technology cost just over $70,000, plus an ongoing $8,000 per year in subscription fees. This money equipped six shuttles, installed the marquee boards and set up the operating software. Wi-Fi installation cost $2,000 per bus. No additional institutional cost was placed on students to afford the new features.

Although a smartphone application has not yet been developed, the NextBus technology also offers online shuttle maps that enable a student to see     exactly where a bus is driving at any given time. Students and faculty can log on to NextBus’s website and select GC to view the new smart GPS technology. Mobile map screens were not installed along with the marquee boards at shuttle stops due to high costs and the threat of severe weather damage, and since these maps can only be viewed online, students and faculty without smartphones may then be at a disadvantage.

“The fact that an app doesn’t exist yet doesn’t seem very efficient,” said junior mass communication major Paul Ogletree. “By the time you log online and select your college the bus will probably be there anyway. And students without smart phones can’t even look up the moving maps at all.”

With such a large investment, it is important to get a good return on it.

With the new features come many strengths. For one, students constantly voice their discontent with the sparse parking around campus, and the addition of the NextBus technology allows greater confidence in their ability to rely on GC transportation. Students and faculty can choose to park at Irwin Street, where a NextBus marquee board will inform them exactly when the next bus will arrive. This use of parking and transportation fees will better facilitate the growing demand for parking around campus, according to Brown.

Another positive aspect of the new features is that GC will now be able to assess whether or not the shuttle routes, times and frequencies are efficient. According to Greg Brown, the shuttles are currently running right at about 3 percent late in arrival time. This type of information will only improve efficiency in the future. The features will also be an aide to student shoppers on the weekends. Students will be able to pull up these mobile maps on their phones to see exactly where a bus is located, in turn reducing stress about finishing their shopping in time. The technology will also come in to play when students begin using the shuttles for transportation to the new Wellness and Recreation Center.

Aside from the disadvantage to those without smartphones, there is another weakness. There is no way of knowing how many students are on a bus at any given time, or if the bus has any room at all. Students at West Campus are also temporarily disadvantaged until a bus stop is fitted with marquee boards.

In the future GC will eventually install screens displaying the mobile maps in buildings such as the Wellness Center and MSU, accord