January 28, 2014
Customers Have New Tools, Detailed Stop Information
(Albany, N.Y.) – The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) today announced the release of its enhanced iRide customer information application for the iPhone. The new app makes it even easier to access CDTA information such as routes, schedules, arrivals, service advisories, enhanced maps and trip planning.
The new iRide application offers intuitive searches by route, specific bus stops or Capital Region landmarks. Schedule maps have been updated and turn by turn directions are now included. The iRide app is GPS-enabled and offers the nearest stops by proximity to the actual location. CDTA has also included links to its website, social media outlets and customer service center. Customers looking to find real time information for BusPlus can download the current BusPlus app from their provider’s store.
“Our new mobile application is a direct response to our customers needs,” said Chairman David M. Stackrow. “More than 55% of our riders access CDTA from a mobile device and these improvements offer more information, quicker and easier than ever.”
The app is now available for the iPhone in the app store and can be found at (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cdta-iride/id329554386?ls=1&mt=8) An Android version is scheduled to be released in March.
“We applaud CDTA for providing this new technology to its riders. The goal is to make it simple for riders to access information and make informed decisions about their transportation. Using a mobile device is the ultimate customer convenience and improves public transportation for riders,” said Co-Founder of CooCoo Ryan Thompson.
The new technology was developed in cooperation with CooCoo, a Huntington, NY based transit technology company www.coocoo.com, and is part of a larger project between CDTA, SPX Genfare and CooCoo to provide CDTA customers with industry-leading technology to pay fares using smart cards or smartphones.
About CDTA
The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) was created in 1970 by the New York State Legislature as a public benefit corporation to provide regional transportation services by rail, bus, water and air. CDTA is the premier mobility provider in the Capital Region, providing local, express, commuter and bus rapid transit services. CDTA owns and operates the Rensselaer Rail and Saratoga Springs Train Stations. Today, over 650 people work to deliver a transit system that transports more than 55,000 customers each weekday.
About CooCoo
CooCoo is a Long Island, NY-based company that improves consumers’ transit experience by delivering integrated transit applications that provides riders with real-time transit information, trip planning and the ability to purchase transit passes all through the mobile device.
About SPX Genfare
For more than three decades, SPX Genfare has been an industry leader in providing intelligent fare solutions to transit agencies of all sizes throughout North America. With a smarter approach to agency change, the company specializes in solutions that make for easier, smoother transitions to new hardware, operating systems and fare media. For more information, visit www.genfare.com.
