Sweet App Helps Riders Find Port Authority Buses

Pittsburgh transit riders standing at a bus stop want to know the answer to only one pressing question, “Where’s my bus?”

Thanks to a new iPhone application, Tiramisu, developed at Carnegie Mellon University, riders will no longer need to fret.  

Tiramisu, an Italian word meaning, “pick me up,” is a user-friendly application that uses a rider's iPhone to signal the location and occupancy level of the Port Authority of Allegheny County buses in real time, tracking arrival and departure times for each bus.

The new app was developed by researchers in the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Accessible Public Transportation (RERC-APT), supported in part by CMU’s Traffic21 initiative. The free application is already available for downloading at the iTunes AppStore.

According to Aaron Steinfeld, senior systems scientist in robotics at CMU, “When a rider first activates the app, Tiramisu displays the nearest stops and a list of buses or light rail vehicles that are scheduled to arrive. The list includes arrival times, based either on historical data for that route or on real-time reports from riders. When the desired vehicle arrives, the user indicates the level of “fullness” and then presses a button, allowing their phone to share an ongoing gps trace with the Tiramisu server. Once aboard, the rider can use Tiramisu to find out which stop is next and to report problems, positive experiences and suggestions.”

The application relies on crowdsourcing, a task traditionally performed by an employee or contractor, to an undefined, large group of people or community (a "crowd") through an open call. By utilizing the information of other transit riders, Tiramisu can track the location of a bus in real time.

During a field test on the Port Authority system in Pittsburgh’s Oakland corridor, the team beta testing the application found that even a small number of riders along a route can provide useful, real-time information about buses. The information becomes richer and more useful as the number of riders using Tiramisu increases. The team also observed that participants in the pilot studies continued to use it even after the formal study ended. 

"We were looking at trying to improve transit riders' experiences, especially for elderly riders and riders with disabilities," said Anthony Tomasic, senior systems scientist in the Institute for Software Research. "The number one question on the minds of riders was, ‘Where’s my bus?’ With Tiramisu we’re able to use crowdsourcing to get their answer."

Steinfeld added, “The application is critical for elderly and patrons with disabilities. The fullness information lets riders who use wheelchairs know if there is space on the bus. Blind riders can use the app through the iPhone screenreader. Port Authority has been a great partner.”

Heather Pharo, a spokeswoman for the Port Authority, said, “We think any additional information our riders get is great for them and us.”

“This technology will benefit every transit rider in Pittsburgh and it is ready to be deployed today,” said Rick Stafford, director of Traffic21 and distinguished service professor of public policy in CMU’s Heinz College. “Crowdsourcing makes it possible for riders to provide real-time updates about how the bus system is actually functioning on any given day by simply sharing information with each other.”

Tiramisu users can interface directly with the Port Authority's customer service department, letting the authority know when a bus stop shelter is damaged by weather, or if there is a broken seat, etc.

"They can take a picture of it and send it directly to Port Authority," Steinfeld said.

“The more users we have the more precise the information is. It’s definitely doing something the Pittsburgh way … getting the community involved in solutions.”