Sun Metro exploring app to track buses in real time

Sun Metro is exploring the idea of paying for the development of a mobile application to make its mass transit system more user friendly.

The organization has looked into an app in the past, but it has been too costly, said Sun Metro officials. The closest option: software that lets people track buses real time.

“It does act like an app. The only difference is that it’s something you don’t download specifically. It’s a link directly into our system,” said Julio Perez, a Sun Metro Manager in an interview on Wednesday. “It will allow you to track real information about your bus your route, the location you want to go.”

That software cost about $380,000 and part of it was paid with a federal grant and should be ready this year. Though going to a link on your internet browser still isn’t as fast as checking an app so Sun Metro is still looking into developing an actual app.

Currently, users have to rely on the Sun Metro website which has a tracker tool that includes scheduled routes and buses, not real time.

“If you look online like on their website, it’s hard to find bus routes that re coming, the different colors on the map and stuff like that. If you were to put in your location and it would give you a notification of the bus is in your area in 3 or 15 minutes and you could just walk to a bus stop, it’d be a lot easier,” said Karina Garcia, a college student.