CATS rolls out GPS system

Baton Rouge’s transit system won’t be getting more buses or adding new routes anytime soon. But beginning this month, CATS riders will be better able to estimate their notoriously long waits, thanks to an app that will enable passengers to hone in—in real time—on the exact location of their bus and determine when it will arrive at the stop. The new system, which is technically up and running but will not be officially rolled out until later this month, is made possible by GPS devices that were recently installed in all 57 CATS buses. Riders will be able to download an app to their mobile devices that will show them where their buses are and how long until they pass. “It isn’t a silver bullet,” says CATS board Chairman Jared Loftus. “But it will make the system more efficient. It opens up a lot of possibilities for us.” Loftus says the GPS system will be as useful for CATS management as it is for riders. Previously, there was no precise way to measure the locations and travel times of buses or to estimate wait times. “I’m of the opinion that what gets measured gets done,” he says. “Now we’ll have data that we can measure so we can make improvements.” CATS directors approved a $1.4 million contract to purchase and install the GPS system on buses last spring, and Loftus says it was paid for with federal grant money. The costs associated with operating the system, however, will come out of the CATS operating budget, which is funded in part by the controversial 10.6-mill property tax approved by voters in Baton Rouge and Baker last year. —Stephanie Riegel