I was wondering why the UTA didn’t give GPS units to all buses to aid the drivers (especially new ones or new to the route in question) when I just learned that the LCD display screen in front of the driver is just that! It not only communicates where the driver is to turn with written directions (sorry, fellas, no map display) but also has the current time and countdown till the next stop. In addition, it communicates back to the head office the bus’ current position. So why can’t the drivers be on-time? Outside of unavoidable traffic issues, taking too long at stops, a bad attitude, or just plain negligence, I DON’T KNOW!

Earlier in the year when waiting for a bus that was 10 minutes late and trying decide a corrective course of action (Trax or call my wife) I phoned the UTA on their publicly posted number (the digits for ride-uta), the call-taker couldn’t seem to tell me anything about the bus except, “It should be there by now.” So if this positional data is indeed being tracked at the head bus station, it must not be available to the call operators which is a real shame. With a little technology boost, the public could have access to this information on their phones and other wireless devices to help them breathe easy. Since buses are NOT reliably on time, this could be a big boon to all wireless connected travelers.