Public transportation is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes the bus you are waiting for comes in on time, and this makes for a happy, stress-free ride home. Quite often, however, it’s late, which means every seat is taken, and people are hot, sweaty and packed in like sardines.

A team of computer science students at Virginia Tech has come up with a new bus-tracking app that not only allows riders with a smartphone to know where their bus is on the route, but it can also tell how many people are on that bus. Those without smartphone capabilities can still take advantage of the data collection service through text message updates.

Using onboard GPS, the student’s app can gather location information, which is fairly standard for transit agencies these days, but the newest and most exciting component is collecting and distributing passenger counts that are provided by Automatic Passenger Counters (APCs) which have also been installed. Increasingly, APCs are becoming a part of bus networks run by city and county transit managers.

If the app is a success, it’s not hard to imagine larger transportation agencies in major cities utilizing the tool to offer a better ride for their customers. We can’t say for sure if the app will help you avoid smelly people on the bus, but the fewer riders, the better the chances everyone will be wearing deodorant, or a free seat will be available next to someone who believes in personal hygiene.

Via: Mass Transit Mag