New CTA bus technology aims to smooth commutes

CHICAGO (WLS) -- CTA officials are already reporting significant improvements for commuters after implementing new technology, in use for three months, to help ease headaches for those waiting to catch a bus.

Commuters often find themselves waiting a long time for a bunch, only to have two or more arrive at once. It's called gapping and bunching and it has always been a problem for CTA bus riders.

"This technology allows for real time monitoring and real time communication with our drivers from the control center," says CTA president Forrest Claypool. "And at the control center, we can see the entire street."

The CTA is adding what it calls a "bus transit management system" which allows the master control center to monitor the position of every CTA bus in real time. If there are gaps and bunches because of congestion, construction, police or fire activity, the center can message the bus driver with instructions like slow down, change route, or leap-frog around a sister bus. The control center can also let a driver know they're dispatching another bus to pick up slack.

"For example, and this is one features of the new system, is we're able to send a message to the bus and say, 'Hey, we need you to run early,' and the operator, this beeps for him and he simply presses the inbox button, and it gives him the information he needs," says Mike Haynes, manager of CTA transit system support.

Under the old system, bus supervisors in their cars would often be required to rendezvous with buses stuck in traffic which was not a particularly effective method. With the new technology it's a text from control and then a finger push response from the driver.

Drivers are not writing texts, but they are getting direction. Problems are identified quickly, fixes are presented directly and in real time.

"It's so simplistic because with only a couple of steps and I can notify control about any event, and receive instructions just as fast," says CTA bus driver Louis Readus.

An $8 million communication system will not end bus gapping and bunching, but three months into the effort on some specific bus routes, the CTA says the numbers are showing fewer gaps and better on time performance.