Greenlink Launches Automated Bus Locator Service

GREENVILLE, SC – Greenlink has launched a new automated bus locator service that allows passengers to track the real-time whereabouts of the system’s 14 fixed route buses either online or via a downloadable app called Route Shout.

Additionally, electronic message boards have been installed in the dispatch booth and in the bus bays in the Greenlink Transit Center that show the anticipated arrival and departure times for the buses. The new technology will provide passengers and potential bus riders with real-time information that allows them to better plan their travel schedules, according to Greenlink officials.

“The bus locator service is a valuable planning tool for our passengers and a great marketing tool as we seek to expand our ridership,” said Greenlink Transit Director Mark Rickards. “The online and real-time aspects of the bus locator program allow us to more effectively communicate with our riders, and it allows us faster and improved access to information for better performance.”

The bus locator project also includes an audio visual annunciation system that announces upcoming stops from the bus’s public address system and simultaneously displays the name of each stop on electronic message boards at the front of the bus. Another feature is an automated passenger counter on all buses to better track indicators such as peak service hours and the most popular stops.

“The automated passenger counter gives us solid data on changing ridership patterns, which in turn helps us with service changes, budgeting and securing funding,” Rickards said.

Visitors to the Greenlink website can access the bus locator web portal by clicking on “Bus Locator” in the left navigation bar. After selecting a route, website visitors are taken to a map that shows the real-time location of the bus on that route.

Those wishing to access the bus locator from a smartphone can download the Route Shout app. After selecting Greenlink Transit from the list of transit agencies, users can select specific Greenlink routes and stops to reveal the scheduled and predicted bus arrival times for those stops. The free Route Shout app is compatible with Android and iPhones, and can be downloaded from the App Store and Play Store, respectively. An SMS feature giving passengers the ability to determine stop times by texting a Stop ID number will be added before the end of the year.

The next phase of the bus locator project is the placement of Greenlink on Google Transit, and the addition of a trolley tracker system for the downtown trolleys, according to Rickards.

Greenlink provides fixed route transportation services Monday through Saturday in the City of Greenville and throughout Greenville County. It also operates the Clemson Commuter, the CU-ICAR/St. Francis Shuttle and Tiger Connect. Additionally, Greenlink operates trolleys with Thursday through Sunday service in downtown Greenville, and Greenville Area Paratransit (GAP), an ADA service provided for disabled individuals who are unable to use Greenlink’s fixed route bus service.

For more information, visit www.RideGreenlink.com or call 864.467.2700.