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Bus Tracking App for Chapala Area - Need your inputs!


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Good evening everyone! A group of residents in the Lake Chapala area have entered discussions with the Chapala-Guadalajara Bus Company to create a bus tracking app. All residents in the Lake Chapala community are encouraged to complete this questionnaire to collect useful data helpful to proceeding with this project.

 

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13 hours ago, tkessler2 said:

Good evening everyone! A group of residents in the Lake Chapala area have entered discussions with the Chapala-Guadalajara Bus Company to create a bus tracking app.

Seriously?????  Do what Mexicans do..... learn the  "close to" route times for your stop and plan accordingly.  eg  My housecleaner comes from San Antonio to Villa Nova (short walk before and after bus stop to bus stop) , and without fail arrives within 2 - 3 minutes before/after scheduled time.

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9 hours ago, ibarra said:

I just looked at the questionnaire and find it curious that they want to know how much we would be willing to donate to create an app and how much we would be willing to have that app put on our phones.  No thank you!  

The bus company already has trackers on their buses, but there is a significant expense to add the General Transit Feed capability which enables tracking apps.  Like any project, there's a business case  to be made.  The investment,  payback in higher ridership, the benefit to the community, etc.   The bus company didn't want to know how much we were willing to pay, we the organizers want to know.  With that info we can make a thoughtful proposal.   A good proposal will have everyone with a little skin in the game. 

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1 minute ago, tkessler2 said:

The bus company already has trackers on their buses, but there is a significant expense to add the General Transit Feed capability which enables tracking apps.  Like any project, there's a business case  to be made.  The investment,  payback in higher ridership, the benefit to the community, etc.   The bus company didn't want to know how much we were willing to pay, we the organizers want to know.  With that info we can make a thoughtful proposal.   A good proposal will have everyone with a little skin in the game. 

Thank you for your reply. However,  still  - No thank you!

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Every public transit system that I have ever used (other than here) has a schedule that is maintained; proper bus stops with the schedule posted. Here I see buses racing through town; why I don't know but guess that the drivers income is somehow based on the fares they pickup.

A bus tracking app seems like an employment project by some software people when all that is required is a schedule.

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1 hour ago, timjwilson said:

I cannot get on a bus but I see people waiting long times at the bus stops. It sounds like a great idea to me.

And you think an app would stop the long lines?   Jajaja     Perhaps the long lines reflect the amount of people that live in the area of the bus stop.   

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19 minutes ago, Out1 said:

Every public transit system that I have ever used (other than here) has a schedule that is maintained; proper bus stops with the schedule posted. Here I see buses racing through town; why I don't know but guess that the drivers income is somehow based on the fares they pickup.

A bus tracking app seems like an employment project by some software people when all that is required is a schedule.

IMO A printed schedule here would be as valuable as the paper it is printed on.   Locals live on EVENT time not CLOCK time.   example:  The bus is coming soon I need to go get in line.  Not - what time is it? I need to go catch the bus.

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31 minutes ago, ibarra said:

IMO A printed schedule here would be as valuable as the paper it is printed on.   Locals live on EVENT time not CLOCK time.   example:  The bus is coming soon I need to go get in line.  Not - what time is it? I need to go catch the bus.

So how do they know the bus is coming ? The little bus that serves my area in Chapala is sometimes you wait an hour sometimes 2 buses arrive at the same time. I would love to have an apps as I use them to go in to Chapala for 3 pesos (I use them because finding a parking in Chapala is a little bit of an adventure).

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The Chapala Plus direct line does have a schedule that is reasonably respected.  The local lines theoretically run every half hour but they are subject to wide variation, especially when traffic jams up.   The buses ARE equipped with GPS trackers that already report to the bus company security system, they know exactly where any bus is at any given time.  But that info is currently closed.  There is a spec, called GTFS, that can take that data and open it up to tracking apps one can put on a cell phone.  Those apps can show you schedules, from the real time data show you when the next bus will arrive, even show you the current position of the buses.  Its up the bus company and the community to make this happen.  There is an expense in doing so, but its not that onerous.   There are also security considerations and we have to respect those.  We don't know what the bus company is willing or not willing to share, but if we can at least get next arrivals and departures in real time, would be a great improvement. 

The Ribera de Chapala has this incredible geometry that makes it a linear city.  If you can get anywhere along the highway, about anywhere you want to go is only about 4 blocks either side.  Most people don't like the uncertainty of the wait.  They also don't like other things, like crowds and dirt.  But imagine for a minute if you're away from Ajijic centro and want to go into town, or over to Wal-mart or San Juan.   Its probably a short walk down to your closest stop.  If the tracker app tells you when the next bus will be there, you can enjoy your coffee or shop a bit longer, and time your walk to the stop.  Suddenly a lot of trips you might have made by car you're willing to hop on a bus.  More rides on the bus means more revenue for the bus company, maybe more frequent buses, and higher quality service.   And fewer cars going up and down the highway.  We have a lot of visitors to the area without cars.  Their quality of stay would improve.

So thats the idea.  We want to do what we can to encourage the bus company to do this.  Maybe at first with some financial help from different sources so its not all on them.  But once its implemented, I'm sure it'll be a good deal for them too. 

Please help by filling out the survey and giving us your best thoughts.  We need energetic feedback from the community to make this happen. 

https://forms.gle/6n4EXwDwn66R4Cgx8

@Honeybee As you pointed out, just having good printed info on the schedules will also be helpful.  That is low lying fruit and we are working on a doc.  Thanks for your feedback.  

 

 

 

 

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Considering the hundreds of locals and expats who rely on public transit daily at lakeside, I see no harm in taking a proactive stance to improve bus service.  Of course, you still have the right to whine and complain on the web boards about the traffic congestion.  It is your choice.

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2 hours ago, ibarra said:

And you think an app would stop the long lines?   Jajaja     Perhaps the long lines reflect the amount of people that live in the area of the bus stop.   

First of all, I did not say 'long lines'. Secondly, yes a tracking app would allow people to arrive at the bus stop shortly prior to the arrival of the bus. Are you also against GPS apps?

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I am not opposed to a bus tracking app. I am opposed to the public having to pay for it, even a small portion of the cost.  If the public pays to generate an app, who pays to maintain service after the initial investment? If the app isn't supported by users signing up for it, then what? IMO We would be back at square one. Posted times of schedules makes a little more sense to me. 

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Kessler has once again put forth a reasonable Lakeside "improvement" for consideration. Sounds well thought out.... not a whim or a lark. Thanks Tom.

All/what he is asking is for those who might... or might not for that matter.... be interested in having their thoughts on the subject captured is to fill out a short survey on the subject. It is very general asking for no mandatory commitment to the idea.... but one gets any option to more or less indicate support or not and under what conditions.  Certainly no strong-arming going on here.

Supporting or opposing such an idea is, of course, up to the individual(s).  Second guessing how such a project might turn out... or not... before any real parameters are known or decided is, IMO, short-sided and conjecture at best. 

As just as a note... I will NOT be participating in the survey as I do NOT live at Lakeside full-time, but have been coming there more than once annually for a couple of decades.

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