“Transloc Rider” is an application that tracks bus routes. (screenshot)
Two weeks ago, UConn Transportation Services launched a new bus-tracking app in response to student complaints regarding their commuting experience. TransLoc Rider, as the app is named, appears to have succeeded at improving the bus-riding experience of the irked student populace in a short period of time.
After a sustained period of time in which students were frequently subjected to late arrivals and insufficient shuttle dispatches, Transportation Services enlisted the aid of TransLoc which developed the app for release during the 2019 spring semester. TransLoc worked in a partnership with Passio Technologies to develop the new app, which allows students to favorite their most frequent stops, view rider counts and receive notifications as to the expected arrival time of shuttles.
Additionally, Transportation Services now has access to a more accurate report of rider counts in order to effectively dispatch a sufficient number of shuttles and the ability to track the punctuality of shuttles in order to ensure students are collected on time.
This was a process that began in October of last year. After months of tweaking and correcting, the university’s newest innovation appears to be a success. Many students are now praising the app for its straightforwardness and convenience, particularly in comparison to the app they were utilizing prior to TransLoc. While a plurality of new users appear to be happy, a subsection of the populace has expressed indifference and others have said that the new system is not without fault.
Within the relatively narrow list of grievances, it appears that students are unhappy about several unnecessary features of the app and several inconveniences of adapting to the new system. Some users have noted that it is unnecessary to know the number of students currently on the bus and others have complained about a lack of phone storage threatening their ability to download the new app.
Overall, Transportation Services has delivered a quality upgrade for the students, many of whom are appreciative and content with TransLoc Rider. It is impossible to please everyone, though that certainly should not prevent improvements and adjustments to the new system whenever plausible.
While the system is notwithout flaws, it appears to be a welcome improvement to the shuttling experience at UConn. For that, Husky Nation ought to be grateful.
