![]() 04/19/2019 at 04:50 • Filed to: Ventura, ptv, Melbourne, Lilydale, belgrave, route 663 | ![]() | ![]() |
When a bus driver needed a gps to do the route
![]() 04/19/2019 at 06:40 |
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I wouldn’t see any issue with it. To be frank, a commodity smartphone running a custom app to provide directions and bus tracking seems like a much smarter idea than having an expensive custom system to do the same thing. Even if the bus drive knows the route, if you incorporate real time traffic or whatever, you may end up avoiding traffic delays (obviously more beneficial for routes that don’t just stop at every intersection along a road).
I also think that such tech might allow fluid bus use. Instead of bus routes that are fixed for decades, planners can tweak them with more frequency . That would previously be a huge burden for drivers and passengers, but with GPS, it should make little difference to drivers, and for passengers, they could get always up to date and optimal instructions from their smart phone or kiosks. That’s more of a pain than memorizing routes for frequent riders, but just as good for occasional riders, and a more optimal system could offset the hassle for regular riders as well.
![]() 04/19/2019 at 07:00 |
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Most buses and many trucks have GPS tracking units. It may be that this driver is tapped into that unit and is receiving real-time updates from dispatch for temporary road closures, etc.
Story time!
I met a fellow who sold GPS tracking units to small businesses. His typical pitch was, “Let me install one on your best employee’s vehicle for a month. If you like what you see, we can set up a contract.”
He made that pitch to a fellow who owned a heating and air conditioning business. It took some effort, but the owner finally let him install a free unit. A few weeks later, he called the owner up and asked how it was going. The owner told him the GPS was broken. It was telling him that his best employee’s truck was sitting for two or three hours in the same spot every day. So, the GPS guy checked the website to see where the truck was and told the owner, “I’ll come pick you up and we’ll go see where your truck really is.”
They found the truck sitting at a strip club along with every other truck in the owner’s fleet . They walked in to find all of the a/c employees enjoying the show.
The owner outfitted his entire fleet that week.
![]() 04/19/2019 at 07:03 |
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busted!
![]() 04/19/2019 at 09:01 |
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I went on a field trip with my kid’s school yesterday. Both bus drivers there and back took the most screwed up route.