New app tracks the Roo in real-time

By Nicholas Summers, Copy Editor

The University of Akron’s main campus has adopted a new app in the spring semester of 2015 to help students keep track of The Roo bussing system. DoubleMap is an app that keeps track of busses locations, their ETA, and where their next stop will be.

The app is free and available for iPhone and Android devices. After downloading and selecting The University of Akron’s busing routes, the app gives you a map of where all of the buses currently are, their respective routes, and where they will be making each of their stops. In the app you can also select only the route you’re interested in taking, since having all of the routes on top of each other on a map can get confusing.

The routes are color coded with dots along each route to distinguish where students can be picked up. DoubleMap also gives students alerts and notifications for situations like broken down buses or delays. Along with ETA’s, this app also lets students know how many passengers are on each bus so they can estimate if there will be seats available when it arrives at their stop.

DoubleMap currently has over 60 clients in which they track their busses and routes, including Ohio University, University of Cincinnati, and Georgetown University. Although most of the routes that are tracked are colleges, they also track cities and large company systems like the Beaumont Transit System and Walt Disney Studios.

For students who rely on The Roo, this app removes any ambiguity as to when the next bus may be arriving, switching between buses, and any changes in the bus schedule. DoubleMap allows people across the country to plan their transportation without having to rely on a bus schedule which isn’t always correct or on time.

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