The lives of public bus riders in Belleville is about to get easier with the upcoming launch of a new app. The city transit is releasing an app on Monday that will allow night-time riders to order a bus using an app on their smart device.
“Everything is booked in real time, live, that doesn’t happen anywhere,” says Paul Buck, the manager of Transit Operations with the City of Belleville.
Belleville is the first city in North America to launch a transit app that allows riders to order services.
Once the order goes through, riders will receive an immediate confirmation letting them know when their bus will arrive. They even have the option to order a night-time bus by selecting their desired arrival time and destination and the app will find the best route and book a ride with the most appropriate time slot. This in return also saves the city transit on route time.
Bus riders in Belleville will be able to download the app and order a bus free of cost on their smartphones, on their iPads and tablets and even on their computers.
The city is launching this one-year pilot project to see how riders and the city respond. Belleville transit is very hopeful.
“It’s easier, smoother, faster for our customers, and also to be able to save money, economical, reduce our carbon footprint, get the vehicles on the road when we need them, and off the road when they don’t need to be there,” says Buck.
The app is set to launch on Monday, Sept. 17 for public bus riders.