Dec 16 2014
Taking a cue from personal experiences, local developer Alfonso Gomez-Arzola and his partner Arne Heggestad created a system that allows bus riders to simply text a number to get important information about their bus’s arrival time. Although several smart phone applications exist that can help riders navigate bus schedules, Alfonso couldn’t help but notice the gap in accessibility for bus riders that may not have access to that kind of technology. By identifying a problem and applying their expertise, Alfonso and Arne are creating a more connected city, one text message at a time.
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Several years ago, I was living in Puerto Rico and bus rides were a part of my daily commute. I distinctly remember the frustration of waiting around in the scorching tropical heat with no idea if my bus would arrive in two minutes or forty (yeah, it could get that bad, and worse; that’s life in the Caribbean!). That frustration extends beyond the bus stop. In my case, the hour or so before leaving my apartment was all about getting out the door as quickly as possible and walking to my stop as fast as I could, all in an effort to maximize my chances of catching the earliest bus and making it to work on time. There was no discernible schedule, so whatever worked for you today might not work for you tomorrow. Everybody who took public transit knew: you want to get somewhere on time, you make sure to be at that bus stop a good hour and a half early. Yet experience taught me that all that effort would be wasted more times than not; I’d arrive at my stop and then have nothing to do but sit and wait.
In Chattanooga, things are certainly better for CARTA’s ridership than they were in Puerto Rico, as they stick closer to their schedules. But still, unless you know the schedule by heart, waiting for a bus continues to be an exercise in planning for uncertainty.
How would my mornings have changed if I had an accurate prediction of when my bus would arrive? That knowledge can go a long way towards improving someone’s quality of life. Knowing there’s no way you’ll make it to your stop in time to catch the #4 that arrives in two minutes is a good thing, because then there’s no need to hurry up. If you know the next one arrives in twenty minutes, you can get a few extra minutes of AC (or heating) at the grocery store; or maybe walk a little more slowly to enjoy the sights; or spend a few extra minutes with your kids at home. Knowing when your bus will arrive empowers you to make better decisions about how you’ll spend your time.
Earlier this year, the Regional Planning Agency announced the inclusion of Chattanooga’s public transit information in the Transit App, a smartphone application that helps public transit customers across the country navigate their cities. This is great for people who own higher-end smartphones and have a decent signal, but it made me wonder about the folks who don’t own smart phones or are stuck somewhere with a weak signal. How can we offer the same services to those riders? The answer to that question is simple: text messages. SMS is something the dumbest phones out there can do, and is far more reliable in low-signal situations than a full-fledged application that relies on your data plan.
I recruited my friend and partner Arne Heggestad to help me build an SMS interface, and Causeway saw fit to support our efforts through their Connectivity Challenge. I dubbed the project CARTAgraphy because I think it’s a clever name, but the name was always meant to be short-lived. Our ultimate goal has been to build something we can deliver to CARTA to integrate into their offerings and maintain as their own, to be named whatever they felt communicated best with their ridership. Causeway connected us to our mentor, Autumn Jewel, who fortunately works for CARTA and facilitated a relationship that has since been very fruitful. CARTA staff are driven by a genuine desire to serve their ridership, and this is evident in the openness and support they’ve shown us throughout this project. Without Causeway’s generosity, developing this application would have taken more time; and without Autumn’s support, getting our foot in the door would have required more energy.
While specific details about the launch of this service need to remain private for the time being, we are proud to say that our project is slated to become an official part of CARTA’s services in the near future. Arne and I look forward to expanding on this application in the months and years to come, as well as sharing what we’ve learned so that it can be replicated. A little bit of applied knowledge can go a long way towards improving someone’s quality of life, and that’s worth sharing.
Originally published at www.causeway.org on December 10, 2014.
