Baltimore commuters will soon be able to purchase tickets and track bus arrival times via a new mobile app.
The Baltimore area’s public transportation system is undergoing massive, large scale reforms and system upgrades as part of a multi-million dollar Maryland Transportation Administration (MTA) project that began last summer. The project has seen the MTA eliminate and add new bus routes, expand, and modify existing routes, and now other efforts to upgrade its ticketing and tracking system have started to come to fruition. The MTA will soon be introducing the availability of GPS Tracking on all Baltimore public transportation buses which will, via the launch of a new mobile phone app, give commuters precise bus arrival times. Additionally, commuters will be able to purchase bus, light rail, and MARC train tickets at no additional cost, via the app. [caption id="attachment_7525" align="aligncenter" width="422"]
Courtesy of MTA[/caption]
The MTA's mobile bus tracking and ticketing app, when it becomes available on computers, tablets, and smart phones, will be known as the “My MTA Bus Tracker.” On computer devices and smart phones, a real time map will also show each buses’ exact location, allowing for commuters to track up to two buses at a time. It will also allow commuters to find the nearest stop as quickly as possible.
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The MTA's new GPS tracking system is not yet complete, however -- only one third of the system's buses are equipped with the GPS technology. The remaining two thirds of the buses should be GPS-enabled in the coming months; the app is expected to be introduced in the summer.
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