FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 16, 2012

WORCESTER _ Several months have elapsed since the Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) embarked on a comprehensive technological upgrade of its entire system, which has made it on par with national and international cities across the globe.

Today, statistics are showing that these upgrades are more than working. The WRTA’s mobile web site is consistently outpacing its desk top counterpart, and more and more people are finding and utilizing the QR codes at WRTA bus stops.

In fact, the most recent findings for the last month show mobile site visits are higher by over 3,000 visits. On many weekends, mobile web hits have exceeded desktop hits, demonstrating a paradigm shift in the way people are seeking travel data.

“Various industries worldwide are seeing statistics shift from desktop to mobile site visits and this is one of the reasons we strived to ensure the WRTA was among one of the front runners in making these important technology enhancements,” said WRTA Administrator Steve O’Neil. “We knew that to increase ridership and remain relevant for all of our ridership demographics, this change needed to occur. The results are proof that our market wanted this ease of use.”

An integral component of the upgrade has been the WRTA’s Bustracker, which is available on both the mobile ready and the regular WRTA website. Bustracker allows riders to know exactly when their bus will arrive at their stop, in real-time. The system is similar to bigger cities such as New York, which boasts its own real-time bus information via MTA Bustime.

Additionally, riders can receive updates on a bus’s arrival by scanning QR codes located at various bus stops, calling 1-508-296-TRAK, or by texting.

The WRTA also offers text message alerts similar to such metropolitan cities as Dallas and London. These messages let riders know about detours, snow delays, and offer riders the most accurate travel information.

“Getting information as soon as it is available is something that is an important tool for our riders,” O’Neil said. “It enables them to plan their travel accordingly, and make any necessary changes they need to make, should there be a change in a bus’s schedule.”

“We’re keeping pace with the bigger cities such as New York, Dallas, Stockholm, London, Madrid, and Tokyo,” O’Neil said adding, “We’re making sure our riders have every technological benefit we can offer them.”

For more information on the WRTA, visit www.therta.com

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