T3 Transit Fleet Upgraded with Smart Bus Technology
T3 Transit, in partnership with the City of Charlottetown, Town of Stratford and Town of Cornwall, has completed upgrades that will improve the rider experience and make it easier for passengers to use the bus service.
Wi-Fi has been installed on the entire transit fleet in the three municipalities. It is free for passengers to use. Additionally, T3 Transit's website has been updated to make it fully mobile friendly, rebranded with all the T3 colors and designed to be easier to navigate for users.
ReadyPass, a smart bus technology that provides data to operators for optimizing routes and schedules, is also in the final stages and should be ready to roll out over the coming months. Once launched, passengers will be able to download a free app onto their smart phone (iOS or Android) which allows them to plan trips online, track the location of their bus and get instant updates from the transit operators. A further announcement will be made once the app is available to the general public.
"T3 Transit feels the addition of the Wi-Fi and GPS features will only strengthen its reputation as one of the country's most efficient small city transit systems," said Mike Cassidy, T3 Transit.
T3 Transit began investigating the feasibility of GPS tracking and user-app systems in 2014. ReadyPass was identified early as a good fit for the Capital Area Transit System because of its ease of use and being designed for smaller transit systems. It's expected the system will help T3 Transit find efficiencies and allow riders to plan their routes and schedules with ease, as well as see where their bus is along their transit route, eliminating some of the barriers that can be associated with bus travel.
"Together with T3 Transit and our funding partners, our three municipalities have been able to install new transit shelters, upgrade the overall fleet, and make infrastructure updates to improve this important service for our citizens," said Charlottetown Mayor Clifford Lee. "There has been a lot of research and leg work to get to this point. T3 Transit should be very proud."
"Improving the rider experience will allow our municipalities and T3 Transit to continue to grow. It is our belief that these investments will attract new riders to the system," said Stratford Mayor David Dunphy. "By allowing riders to easily plan their route, track their bus and be able to then use their phone or laptop wirelessly during their commute greatly improves the overall experience."
Funding was provided for these initiatives as part of the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF). PTIF provided 75 percent of the funding for the transit upgrades -50 percent from the Government of Canada and 25 percent from the Province of PEI. The municipal contribution to the upgrades was the remaining 25 percent, cost-shared between the City of Charlottetown, the Town of Stratford and the Town of Cornwall following their standard cost-sharing agreement of 75 percent, 15 percent and 10 percent respectively. It is anticipated that dedicated transit funding will continue to be offered in the years ahead which will make maintaining and upgrading transit assets more feasible for the three municipalities.
"The Town of Cornwall is very excited to be a part of the growth and development of transit in our area," said Cornwall Councillor Peter Meggs. "New initiatives and innovations from T3 ensure that public transit will remain a viable transportation option for residents in the years to come."
For more information on T3 Transit, including schedules and fares, visit: https://t3transit.ca/
For more information on ReadyPass, visit: www.readypass.ca
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Media contacts:
Mike Cassidy, Owner
T3 Transit
Phone: (902) 393-0139
Wendy Watts, Community Engagement Coordinator
Town of Stratford
Phone: (902) 569-6921
[email protected]
Jennifer Gavin Communications Officer
City of Charlottetown
Phone: (902) 629-4102
[email protected]
Tracey MacLean, Engagement Coordinator
Town of Cornwall
Phone: (902) 628-6260 ext 228
[email protected]
Printable version: Media Release -Technology Upgrades to Transit (February 1, 2018)