When’s the Next Bus Coming?

Here’s How to Find Out

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Wildcat Transit riders know all about the benefits of bus travel. There are no parking tickets. It saves gas money. It’s convenient and good for the environment. And now, thanks to a new app from UNH Mobile, it’s more efficient than ever.

With the NextBus vehicle tracking system, passengers can check to see where their bus is along the route, and if it’s running on time. Using live GPS-based data, NextBus offers route schedule listings, a map and 3-second updates on arrival times. That’s right, 3 seconds. You can’t get much more accurate than that.

The map displays the user’s location, bus stop locations, and the positions and directions of the buses for each route.

NextBus allows passengers to adjust to possible delays. For example, if it’s snowing or raining and you learn the bus is going to be 15 minutes late, you can wait indoors until close to the new arrival time without worrying you’ll miss the bus simply by checking Nextbus. Knowing when the bus is due to arrive also can mean a shorter wait at the bus stop.

“This is the most exciting thing to come to transit since buses,” says Michael Amicangioli of UNH Transportation Services. “All of the feedback we’ve gotten so far has been great. It seems to be a big hit with students and faculty and staff alike.”

Non-smartphone users can text 41-411 and enter ‘UNHbus’ and the stop number in the message section receive the schedule information. Smart phone users can simply download the app for real-time arrival information. Just visit New and Emerging Media’s UNH Mobile suite here.

Information is also available on the NextBus webpage at UNH Transportation. Choose your route and bus stop and the real-time arrival prediction information will appear. A live map indicates where buses are on the various routes at that moment.

University Transportation Services (UTS) and UNH Mobile collaborated with NextBus, Inc., on the project which was funded by the Student Transportation Fee (25 percent) and Federal Transit Administration CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation, and Air Quality) funds (75 percent).

UNH Mobile has an 18 module suite with a customizable home screen (springboard personalization), granting users the ability to view only the modules they wish to use. Six of the modules link directly to UNH websites, leveraging the device's built-in browser. The other 12 modules live within the app suite.