Whistler's transit fleet is set for an upgrade.
Starting Sept. 5, new new Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) hardware will be installed on 31 buses in the Whistler Transit System, according to BC Transit.
"There are expected to be no service interruptions during the replacement process, and riders will continue to have the ability to use smart mobile devices and desktop services to see the real-time location of their bus along its route and its predicted arrival time at an identified stop," BC Transit said in a release.
The upgrade to the fleet's NextRide technology will "help provide increased certainty, convenience and bus predictability for transit customers," the release said.
Customers are advised that the NextRide desktop trip planning tool will be unavailable as of Sept. 5. Whistler customers wanting to plan their trip should use the BC Transit website and other real-time bus schedules including: the Transit App (mobile only); Google Maps; their own favourite trip planning app; or refer to the rider’s guide.
"By downloading the Transit App, customers know exactly when their bus will arrive and allow them to see how full a bus is at any given time," the release said. "This spring, BC Transit also started providing riders with free subscriptions to Transit Royale, an upgrade to the existing version of the Transit app, which now provides a wider geographical range for real-time bus tracking, a view of the full transit schedule instead of just short-term departures and fun, interactive features to make the transit journey more enjoyable."
The upgrade is funded in part by the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, and being cost shared with the Government of Canada contributing 50 per cent, the Province of British Columbia contributing 40 per cent, and local government partners contributing the remaining 10 per cent. The cost for the entire project, which includes other transit systems in B.C., is $16.8 million.
For more information visit: https://www.bctransit.com/whistler/home
