Metro started a new system for alerting riders about bus delays on Tuesday, plus upgraded the existing system for sending out alerts about problems on the rail system.
The transit system will now send out alerts via email or text messages to phones or computers about problems on up to four bus lines. The agency said it will send out information on route-specific delays, detours, schedule changes and construction activity that affect those lines between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays.
The advisories are intended to supplement the NextBus system that uses global positioning to predict when the next bus is going to arrive at a given stop. They are latest systems to help riders rely on a bus system that typically has one of every four buses arrive late. Still, only 87 percent of buses were predicted correctly on NextBus in January.
The agency is also enhancing its existing rail alerts. Riders can ask for alerts for up to four specific stations, not just rail lines. And they can get short alerts sent to phones plus longer advisories sent to their computers.
