Signs may aid bus riders

Students, faculty and staff commuting from North Campus to Central Campus may no longer have to sit out in the cold, unaware of when the next bus will take them to their desired destinations. With a new system, information about wait times would be at their fingertips instead.

The University Department of Parking and Transportation Services, the Michigan Student Assembly and the University of Michigan Engineering Council have looked into implementing dot matrix indicator signs at the bus stops.

The system connects every bus stop to a central station through radio modems. These modems detect when a bus arrives at a stop and relays that information to every other bus stop as well as the central station. With that information, electronic sign

DANA LINNANE/Daily A University bus drives to North Campus last night. A new dot matrix system at bus stops would help students who ride the bus estimate arrival times more accurately.

s can indicate when the next bus will arrive. This information would also be available online and accounts for traffic delays and buses that have broken down.

"It's a unique system that can provide many benefits," UMEC President Jon Malkovich said. "Students will have an easier time using the bus system and they will be able to tell exactly when the gaps are." Noting that some gaps in services can be up to 40 minutes, he said this system would allow students to plan their time more efficiently.

"For example, when Bursley-Baits bus No. 2 arrives at the Power Center stop, a computer at the stop will detect its arrival. Using radio modems, that information will be relayed to all the other stops. The C.C. Little computer would then automatically change an LED screen to say 'Bursley-Baits bus arrives in 1 min,' " Malkovich explained in a written statement.

The Department Parking and Transportation Services Director Pat Cunningham said the system would cost between $100,000 to $200,000. Malkovich said it costs about $2,000 to put a dot matrix sign at a bus stop.

MSA President Bram Elias said he hopes the University will provide funding for the system.

"This is the type of project that the University should be providing for students.

Our hope is funding for the project will mirror that set of priorities," Elias said.

Cunningham also hopes this will be funded by the University, adding that a one-time investment into a technological device reaps cost-effective benefits. "If you look at adding one bus to one route, the cost of that comes to about $100,000 a day."

But some students think dot matrix indicators detract from more important issues, such as improving the frequency of services.

"They're definitely unnecessary," Engineering sophomore Larry Harvilla said.

Harvilla, who is also a University bus driver, said the signs will cause a maintenance headache, citing the expense of installing the system and potential problems of vandalism.

"I've driven Saturday night shifts at 3 a.m.," he said. "I've seen what 40 drunk people can do."

Bursley Council President Damon Warren said he supports the system as long as good service is an integral part of the plan.

Elias said improving service is the ultimate goal with the system's implementation.

"Our goal is to increase comfort and utility for students," he said. "The point here is better service and more service."

Cunningham expressed similar thoughts. "The money used from this project will not detract from any bus service in the future."

Proponents of dot matrix indicators are optimistic because they said Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, Inc. - the firm in charge of the campus master plan - also looked into this system. But Heather Clark, project manager for the campus master plan, said it was only a speculation.

"We had really general discussions but haven't really looked at it yet," she said.

Administrators at Ohio State University have installed a similar system several years ago called the Bus Location Information System.

"Basically, buses are equipped to a global positioning system that gives the latitude and longitude of the buses," Operating Manager for OSU Transportation Roy Alonso said.

"It provides a good service, and it's especially nice in the colder weather," he said. Alonso noted ridership has increased but said he cannot credit that to the system since services improved around the same time.

But he said they have experienced problems with BLIS.

"We're having trouble getting all the information out to download. There's been some trouble with that link," he said.

Elias said he hopes to have the project completed before his term ends in March.

"There's still a lot of administrative legwork," he said.

Cunningham said the system could be up within a year, and predicted dot matrix indicators to be the wave of the future.

"This type of technology is going to come to all bus systems. It allows people to be more interactive, and I believe it could facilitate more people to use the bus. It's one of many steps where we could take the bus service."

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