Students can now check shuttle locations online.
Facilities Management launched a website this month that enables students to locate the shuttle on a real-time map. Each bus has a GPS system that sends data to the website at least every 30 seconds, according to Mark Feist, assistant director of Facilities Management.
A new passenger-counting electronic system will help Facilities Management determine how many shuttles are necessary at various hours, Feist said.
“It may mean adding more shuttles to a particular time slot if we find that the peak load has adjusted for whatever reasons,” he said.
The technology cost around $60,000 upfront, in addition to a $1,200 monthly fee for maintenance and data reports, according to Shuttle Operations Manager Alef Worku.
Feist believes the University will save money by providing more efficient shuttle service and reducing idle time.
“The value is that we are able to provide better service and more economical service insofar as making adjustments based on the information we receive,” Feist said.
Feist hopes students can locate a shuttle via text message by next year.
Students can visit www.american.edu/shuttles, click on a route and then the link to the map to locate a shuttle.
kdakin@theeagleonline.com
