News Releases
May 29, 2018
Saint John Transit and NBCC put routes on the map through innovative partnership
Customers can access up-to-date route information via Google Maps
Saint John, NB (May 29, 2018) – Saint John Transit and New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) have partnered to deliver up-to-date route information that will download directly to customers’ smartphones via Google Maps.
“We wanted to provide our customers with quick access to accurate route information using the tools Google makes available to transit services,” says Ian MacKinnon, CEO of the Saint John Transit and Parking Commission. “We partnered with NBCC to help us bring the latest technology to our customers.”
This technology will allow potential customers to ask Google Maps for directions, select public transit and plan their route directly in the program. This represents a step forward for the company as previously; users could only access route information through a PDF document via the website or by obtaining a printed schedule.
The partnership was formed through an Applied Research project and went live on Google Maps in April 2018. In fact, the project has been so successful that Apple has recently contacted MacKinnon requesting to use their material, making Saint John Transit information available on the two biggest mapping applications available to smartphone users.
Rodrigo Matias, an Information Technology: Programmer Analyst student at NBCC in Saint John took all of Saint John Transit’s data, prepared it, and coordinated with Google to ensure everything was accurate. Rodrigo also created a web-based application that Saint John Transit can use to maintain and modify their routes in the future.
“Partnerships like this really make the learning experience at NBCC more meaningful for students,” explains NBCC instructor Chris London. “They get to play a part in fixing real life problems that organizations are facing. This will be especially helpful for our students who are using the Saint John transit system to attend classes at our campus.”
A future Applied Research project is already being planned to implement GTFS Real-time, showing real-time data on exact locations of busses during transit routes.
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For further information, please contact:
Ian MacKinnon
CEO, Saint John Transit and Parking Commission
P: | 506.658.4703
Email: ian.mackinnon@saintjohn.ca
Heather Allaby
Director of Communications & Stakeholder Engagement, NBCC
P: | 506.444.3320
Email: heather.allaby@nbcc.ca
Saint John, NB (May 29, 2018) – Saint John Transit and New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) have partnered to deliver up-to-date route information that will download directly to customers’ smartphones via Google Maps.
“We wanted to provide our customers with quick access to accurate route information using the tools Google makes available to transit services,” says Ian MacKinnon, CEO of the Saint John Transit and Parking Commission. “We partnered with NBCC to help us bring the latest technology to our customers.”
This technology will allow potential customers to ask Google Maps for directions, select public transit and plan their route directly in the program. This represents a step forward for the company as previously; users could only access route information through a PDF document via the website or by obtaining a printed schedule.
The partnership was formed through an Applied Research project and went live on Google Maps in April 2018. In fact, the project has been so successful that Apple has recently contacted MacKinnon requesting to use their material, making Saint John Transit information available on the two biggest mapping applications available to smartphone users.
Rodrigo Matias, an Information Technology: Programmer Analyst student at NBCC in Saint John took all of Saint John Transit’s data, prepared it, and coordinated with Google to ensure everything was accurate. Rodrigo also created a web-based application that Saint John Transit can use to maintain and modify their routes in the future.
“Partnerships like this really make the learning experience at NBCC more meaningful for students,” explains NBCC instructor Chris London. “They get to play a part in fixing real life problems that organizations are facing. This will be especially helpful for our students who are using the Saint John transit system to attend classes at our campus.”
A future Applied Research project is already being planned to implement GTFS Real-time, showing real-time data on exact locations of busses during transit routes.
- 30 -
For further information, please contact:
Ian MacKinnon
CEO, Saint John Transit and Parking Commission
P: | 506.658.4703
Email: ian.mackinnon@saintjohn.ca
Heather Allaby
Director of Communications & Stakeholder Engagement, NBCC
P: | 506.444.3320
Email: heather.allaby@nbcc.ca
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