An iPhone application released last week enables users to track University and City of Charlottesville buses.
The application, called HoosBus, tracks University Transit Service and Charlottesville Transit Service bus routes, displaying the nearest stops and the time remaining until the next bus arrives, said application developer Yaogang Lian, who received his doctorate in physics from the University in 2007. "You can tap on the station and it will give you a list of the buses that will come by in the next 30 minutes," Lian said.
Users do not need to know the stop number or their current location to use the program, he added. Frequent riders can use the "Nearby" or "Favorites" tabs to receive 20-second updates on arrival times, Lian said, while less familiar users can use the "Routes" tab to view bus routes or the "Map" tab to locate the nearest stops.
Lian said he first devised the idea for HoosBus in April when his girlfriend showed him HoosWhere, the current bus notification system provided by UTS. This system includes Bus Finders, which are the signals at high-traffic stops that show the arrival of the next bus when users push a button. Lian said he began working on the application because he "had the idea that maybe we can do better than that."
Second-year College student Vinitra Rangan, a Dillard Dormitory resident who often rides the bus to class, said she is "not really" satisfied with the current bus-tracking system. Because Bus Finders are not available at all stops, and the phone number that offers bus information does not always work, tracking down buses is "kind of hard," she said.
"[An iPhone application] would be more convenient, definitely," Rangh said. She currently uses her iPod Touch to access the Internet and consult the UTS Web site, adding that she would definitely use HoosBus.
Lian spent about 100 hours, or two full work weeks, developing the application and completed it Nov. 11.
"The good thing about iPhone development is that anyone can do it," said Lian, who works as a self-employed business developer.
"I wanted to start doing my own things," he said. HoosBus is his third iPhone application and Lian said he plans to create a few more before moving on to "bigger projects."
The HoosBus application can be downloaded for free at the iTunes Web site. When contacted, Rebecca White, University parking and transportation director, said she was too unfamiliar with the application to make an assessment as of press time.
Read More
Student Council votes to relocate Hereford orchard and basketball hoop
By Lauren Seeliger | 6 hours agoStudent Council passed a resolution Tuesday to relocate the orchard and basketball hoop of Hereford Residential College due to construction in the surrounding area.
Dean Rucker honored with Z Society’s highest honor, Pale Z Award
By Brendon Bordwine | 23 hours agoThe Society has a storied history of honoring University leaders with the Pale Z.
Students receive free STI testing through U.Va. Health and Wellness
By Jackie Bond | YesterdayThrough funding from Student Council, students are now able to receive free STI testing with SHW which includes tests for HIV, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and Hepatitis C.
