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Metrobus riders having trouble with "ghost buses"
Metrobus riders have been reporting complications with tracking when buses are coming and when they're delayed.
Metro says the ‘ghost bus’ issue, where busETA says a bus is on its way, but it never shows up, has been resolved.
"Nobody likes to be ghosted, especially by a bus," says Metro's press release. "So, it’s good news for Metrobus customers that ‘ghost buses’ have been banished by recent technology upgrades at Metro."
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Previously, all scheduled buses were displayed on busETA regardless of whether a bus was in service or not, meaning that a bus taken out of service for a mechanical issue, operator availability or another issue would be displayed on busETA but would not show up for an expecting customer.
Metrobus says customers now have more certainty that the location of a bus displayed on busETA is accurate.
"These upgrades to busETA are part of our commitment to listen to customer concerns and work as hard as possible to improve their experience using Metro," said Metro Senior Vice President of Bus Services Leroy Jones. "Ghost buses are one of the biggest frustrations we hear about the Metrobus experience, and this change will help take the guesswork out of planning your trip."
Metro says customers using busETA on their computer or phone will already notice the improvements, but customers that rely on displays at bus stops will see similar improvements in the coming weeks.
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Metro’s improved data is also available to third-party applications such as Google Maps, Transit App and others, and an update to the new data on those applications will be determined by each app provider.
If a bus’s GPS tracker is having technical or network issues, a customer may notice a bus arrive at their stop that is not displayed on busETA. When buses are identified with this issue, the Metrobus team will work to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.