Oct 16 - New Gibraltar Bus Tracker App Launched By Government
Bus users can soon track what time their bus is due to arrive with the new Gibraltar Bus Tracker WebApp due to be released next month.
The Government of Gibraltar is working on a real-time bus tracking service that will cover all the working routes currently offered by the Gibraltar Bus Company.
With the aim to improve the bus service for all users, the Minister for Transport Paul Balban said: “Why wait for your bus when you can meet it?
“It gives me great satisfaction to announce that the Gibraltar Bus Tracker WebApp is currently in development and underway. We believe the service will improve the public transport experience of bus users by facilitating real time information.”
The Gibraltar Bus Tracker WebApp, which is being developed by the Information Technology & Logistics Department, uses location data provided by enhanced dedicated GPS devices mounted inside each bus.
Tyrone Manasco, director of the department, explained that this information is then transmitted wirelessly to a tracking server using on-board cellular equipment. The developed software integrates the geographical bus location data with the bus route information which is then embedded within Gibraltar’s geoportal maps to output the information displayed on the WebApp.
The free Gibraltar Bus Tracker WebApp will offer riders real-time bus information. From any smart phone or desktop computer with internet access, citizens will be able to access the website, select a bus route and see a transit map that will display where buses are located within the given route. The buses will move across the map in real-time.
Alfred Traverso, Manager for the Gibraltar Bus Company, said: “In the past we have had so many people ringing us to enquire about timings for buses, but of course we only know when they left the terminus.
“I have seen the app and I think it is going to be brilliant. It is very much needed like water in the desert.
“I am a bus user myself and I know they’re not on time sometimes, there are times when you’re waiting for 40 minutes for your bus to come by. This will definitely be a great addition for the bus service.”
The Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo QC, said: “My Government wishes more people to make use of our excellent bus service and I am delighted that this initiative will make bus transport even more user-friendly.”
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