BY Sergio Garcia | SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
Have you ever wondered where the shuttle bus is, as you wait for it to come? I have. It is hard to calculate how long it will take to get to your location because there are many variables to consider.
For instance, its speed depends on the traffic, weather, driver and even on the shuttle itself.
Sometimes we consider whether we should wait or just walk. This might be a hard decision, especially if you are just in time and know that the shuttle can take you to your destination faster, but you know that if you don’t start walking you might not make it on foot, so you gamble.
You might get lucky, wait for the shuttle, catch it and be early to class or you might not be as fortunate. Wait for the shuttle, don’t catch it and start walking so late that you don’t make it to class on time.
This is not only a problem for students, but also for staff and faculty who might make use of the service.
Nonetheless, many students might prefer to walk in order to avoid conflict, but one needs to take into consideration that using this free service might come in handy when the weather is harsh or not optimal for walking. In addition, many students can’t really walk to where they are going, such as when traveling between campuses.
I believe that installing GPS trackers on all the shuttle buses could solve these issues. By doing so, students would be able to determine, at least with more accuracy, if they can wait for one of the shuttle buses or start walking to their destination.
The actual location of the shuttle buses would be available in a third party application or, perhaps, could be a function incorporated into the myUTRGV site.
Drivers can disable the GPS trackers when their shift ends to prevent any issues.
The university is growing, so making use of technology to make it better and more efficient is crucial for its proper development.
