City
Where's the Streetcar? Right there. And there. And there.
TTC streetcars are capable of being equipped with GPS tracking devices, and the technology exists to pinpoint their precise location... as you read this. But up until now, this information has not been harnessed and relayed by the TTC to the public.
But it appears that this is all going to change very soon.
This morning, blogTO reader Greg Washington, along with other fellow transit riders using the 510 Spadina streetcar, got an exciting sneak peek at what appears to be a dual screen electronic board that displays next departure information and real-time tracking of all vehicles on the route. How cool is that!?
When I myself went to check it out during lunch hour today, the screens were off, which suggests to me that the system is not quite ready to go live.
What has really got me excited are the possibilities for the future. Imagine a web and mobile phone application that uses actual vehicle position and traffic flow data to deliver us real-time scheduling information?
Stuff happens on the roads that take public transit off of their fixed schedule - all the time. This pretty much makes posted schedules and mobile phone apps that use fixed schedule data (no matter how wonderfully designed and implemented they are) to be inherently difficult to rely on in the real world. GPS could change all of that.
I just chatted briefly with the the folks at the TTC, who unfortunately aren't able to say much about this exciting development quite yet. A media advisory will be issued tomorrow, and the big news release is planned for next Monday. We'll have to wait patiently for official word.
In the mean time, let's consider the questions...
Which routes will be getting the monitoring screens? Which need them most? Will the TTC be delivering real-time web and mobile phone-based route planning? When?
Discussion
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And yes, make the data open, so someone can turn this into a website and/or iphone app! :)
That would definitely make the TTC the better way.
at least this way, people in these situations would know when they get to the stop, oh look the next car is super far away, screw this I'm walking. or cabbing. or whatever.
The problem is those times that happen every now and then where I wait and wait... start to wish I had walked... but by that point I figure if I've already waited that long, it's probably just around the corner (it's tough when you're north of Spadina circle and can't see whether the next one is at King or at College).
Same problem happens at the station going south of course.
i'm all for this on bus routes and other streetcar routes. i also agree with the person who said we could just have simple LED timers, no need for the big fancy monitors, but i'm sure we will pay for them with the next fare increase.
I was getting so used to hearing nothing but complaints and backlash on this site even on things that don't effect you directly. I was starting to think it was nothing but negative rants. Complain about transit, politians, media companies, news agencies. No one could do anything right, or perfect.
I was expecting a bunch of complaining as soon as I saw the headline BUT you surprised me. Someone is trying something, that's to be supported.
I could go to ttc's site, check and see if the Queen streetcar is backed up (even though I already know it is).
You'll still have to wait 40 friggin minutes! ONly now, you'll be more frustrated cause you'll be watching the car from a screen... waiting..... and waiting.. ect.
TechnologyDrone on: Did Adam Giambrone grab your head and press your face against the screen? I didn't know anyone was forcing you to look at it.
These are great, can't wait till they roll them out everywhere!
Knowing the next street car is coming in 30 mins is far less frustrating then standing there wondering /when/ it's going to be coming.
Funny how a small city like St. John's, NL. has real time tracking on it's website and have had it for a number of years. A major transit system in Toronto is only now experimenting?
What give with that?
They have this in the Ukraine or something and I think it does help, I hate the feeling of waiting and not knowing, just that little note to show me how much longer I have to wait is a bit less wondering.
Europe - among all the other small cities - has had this for a while now - lovely for us to catch up.
I blame the massive funding cutbacks for the length of time it took for this to arrive. At least the technology will in theory be more 'reliable' (assuming they learn lessons from mistakes made in other places).
@James - how the hell do you think having a phone number is "with technology"? The TTC had this like 2 DECADES ago. :p It was cut back along with all the other cutbacks :(
This'll be way better than that.