NextRide launched in Fort St. John Transit System

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – Following the launch in Dawson Creek, Fort St. John now has the automatic vehicle location program, NextRide.

NextRide provides transit users with real-time bus locations and predictions of arrival times at any stop.

BC Transit states that automated stop announcements will now call out to customers.

The latest release also states that bus location data is provided to mobility providers such as Transit App, so customers can track the buses and routes using an application they already have or like.

BC Transit would like to add that customers using Google Maps to plan their trips will experience a delay in the real-time data because it takes several weeks for Google to begin sharing this information.

According to the release, two installation teams are working closely together in nearby communities as they move through the province to install the new technology.

In total, NextRide will reportedly be installed on approximately 315 buses in British Columbia.

The release says that NextRide is part of BC Transit’s Smart Bus program that introduces new technologies on buses that “improve the customer experience, grow ridership and make transit more accessible and safer.”

More information and the next locations to receive this program can be found on the NextRide project page.