by Alex Van Valkenburgh, WWU Office of Communications and Marketing Intern
No more will students have to ask themselves the age old question: Where is the late night shuttle?
Western’s partnership with Ride Systems is providing students the ability to track the late night shuttle though an app.
This past January, the two shuttles were equipped with GPS monitoring equipment. Students can download the app that shows them the late-night shuttle’s real-time location.
The app provides minute by minute updates on where the bus is and when it will arrive. It can be downloaded for free from the IOS and Android app stores. Western adopted the Ride Systems app to make catching the late night shuttle more convenient.
“Without the app, the students can only guess where the shuttle is,” Kay McMurren, Western’s Student Transportation Program support supervisor, said. “With the app, they can see exactly when it is coming.”
The Ride Systems app will provide students peace of mind as students will no longer have to wait outside in the dark or the cold.
The app will also inform students if the shuttle has been canceled due to weather conditions.
The program costs $5,700 per year, said McMurren. The partnership does not only benefit the students, it also provides Western the ability to electronically tally the number of riders embarking and disembarking the bus at each stop.
Which provides the university with data on the late night shuttle’s usage.
Ride Systems provides services to more than 100 universities and colleges across the United States