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In an effort to improve the university’s public transportation, USF partnered with transit technology company Paseo to upgrade the Bull Runner tracking system with more accurate arrival times.
Marie Bowen, assistant director of parking and transportation, said the university has previously worked with Synromatics to track the bull run’s location and arrival times. But this practice has left many students frustrated and leaving many complaints due to consistent errors.
When Synromatics’ contract with the university expired, bidding for the same service began, which is why USF signed with Pacio, Bowen said.
The package includes four interactive interface displays placed around campus that allow students to track the location and get a destination forecast for the Bull Runner, Bowen said. In addition, if the buses need to be rerouted due to an accident, students will now know in real time and receive a campus-wide emergency alert.
Screens were installed at the four most popular bull run shelters two weeks ago, but now they only show still images, Bowen said. The shelters include those in the Marshall Student Center, the Hub, the library and Leroy Collins. Bowen said the program will be fully operational in less than 30 days.
Services that make Passion stand out include an improved tracking system, data monitors and a bus base, a feedback program that students can access and send feedback or praise about a driver, Bowen said.
The new agreement will last for five years, with options to extend for three additional years, Bowen said. She said this is enough time for the university and students to get the money.
“We have to make sure we’re getting the best value for our dollars and the students’ dollars,” Bowen said. “We were at a point where we needed to go back and refresh. [tracking services]He said.
Colton Morgan, communications and marketing officer, said the costs of the contract include both capital costs of more than $350,000 and annual operating costs of more than $31,000.
All costs are covered by students’ annual transportation fee — $3 per credit hour for Tampa students — as well as the university’s own transportation and parking budget at no additional cost to students, Bowen said.
The installation of screens at the four shelters does not require extensive construction, Bowen said. In fact, the necessary infrastructure for the controllers was already in place and simply required minor changes, such as adding outlets to the locations.
According to Bowen, students can still view the Bull Runner’s location on their own website or through the text arrival prediction option. Although the monitoring could be more accurate, she said, it is important for students to be patient with the normal problems of public transportation and driving on the road.
We still want to encourage people that we still have to be careful and [that the Bull Runner is] “Public transportation,” Bowen said. “Like when you’re driving on the road, you’re planning your route and you’re expecting to get there in 20 minutes, and then you’re going to have traffic, and those things will lose you.”
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