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Health & Fitness

It's Time to Get Real

This system tells when the next bus will be at your stop. Access info at major transfer centers, online, with cell phones and smart phones. Remember, it is in test mode. Take it for a spin!

You may have heard stops being automatically announced on your bus, or if you travel through the Shoppes at Park Place transfer center, you may have seen the automated message signs.

These are part of our brand-new, state-of-the art Real Time Bus Info project that the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) is gearing up for launch in the next couple of months.

This system will tell you exactly when the next bus will be at your bus stop. You’ll be able to access the info at major transfer centers, online, and with handheld devices (i.e. cell phones and smart phones).

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Each bus stop will have a new sign installed below the bus stop sign that explains where to access the system, and will give you the bus stop ID number that is unique to that stop.

We’ve got the online site up and running in test mode and invite you to check it out! Click on “Estimated Arrivals,” then enter your route, direction, and bus stop location; the system will automatically show you the next few buses scheduled for arrival.

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Click the “Map” button from that page to see your bus and its route on a map. Or, you can start from the “Bus Location Map” side and choose your route and/or stops after clicking the appropriate button on the top right side of the map.

Before you start clicking, please remember that this site is in test mode. All the stops are not yet listed, and all the buses don’t have the GPS equipment yet that makes it work, so all routes won’t show up.

Routes 19, 52, and 74 were in our pilot program, so you should almost always get good info if you select one of those routes.

Also, we’re in the process of adding a field where you can type in that unique bus stop number. You can sign up for email and text alerts, but since those modules are not activated, they won’t work yet.

Basically, we encourage you to click around, but remember that we’re in test mode.

You are cordially invited to click HERE and check out the test mode of the online Real Time Bus Info. Play around with it, try it out and let us know what you think!

Please share your feedback either by commenting on the RidePSTA post, or by sending email to ride@psta.net.

 ~Cyndi Raskin-Schmitt, RidePSTA Blog Editor

P.S. Did we mention that it’s just in test mode? We did? Great!

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