What’s the new box on the ART 51/52 bus poles?

Those of you who ride ART 51/52 may have noticed a new box on some of the bus stop poles. No, it’s not a boom box, it’s a real-time information Connexionz BusFinder. The Connexionz system tracks the location of buses along the route and sends the arrival time of the next bus to BusFinder at the bus stop.

HOW IT WORKS

ART buses on the routes are equipped with GPS locating systems and two way radios. Every 30 seconds, the bus broadcasts its location, via radio, to the Connexionz Real Time Tracking (RTT) system on our server. This software keeps track of the buses and predicts when they will arrive at each ART bus stop. The system then sends that information out via radio to the BusFinders. A web site is being developed to display the ART routes, stops, and predictions for bus arrivals. We are also developing a telephone and wireless system for you to access this information. These are scheduled for completion in spring/summer 2005.

HOW TO USE

Place your thumb on ART 51 or 52 circle on the BusFinder. This is not a pressure switch, so you don’t have to push, just cover as much of the circle with your thumb as you can. The red light will start to flash in the circle. This means the radio in the BusFinder is receiving the real-time information from the server.Within about 30 seconds, the BusFinder will indicate how far away the bus is in minutes. For stops served by both the 51 and 52, you can then switch between routes to display times for both buses. The scale goes up to 28 minutes, so if the bus is more than 28 minutes away, the BusFinder will display “Refer to Timetable.”

BUSFINDER LOCATIONS

• Ballston
• Central Library
• Virginia Hospital Center – Arlington
• George Mason and Lee Highway
• Yorktown High School
• Bishop O’Connell High School
• East Falls Church