CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Those who may want to use public transit will be able to find a much simpler process for picking a ride on a KRT bus.
KRT is finishing up the details which will implement the Kanawha Valley bus line system into Google Maps. The application is called Google Transit and is customized to various transit systems across the nation. Morgantown was the first in West Virginia to use the technology and Charleston will be next.
“It will tell them the times the trips are available and the cost of the trip,” said KRT Assistant General Manger Doug Hartley. “Down the road, you’ll be able to see the routing and where it makes each turn and give real-time information when we tie it into GPS and see when the next bus is coming.”
The process would greatly simplify the system. The goal is to enter the address of your destination and be instantly connected to that location from your present location via the available bus routes and the time they would run.
“We’re real excited about it,” Hartley said. “It will give a tool for riders and potential riders.”
The transit system has been working with Google on the project for about nine months. They expect to roll it out to the public later in the fall.