DC Public Transportation Tracking

"The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority plans to spend $830m over the next five years to upgrade its fleet of buses and overhaul its scheduling system. The plans were spurred by recommendations in June from a panel of bus managers from Houston, New York, and San Mateo, California, which made wide-ranging recommendations for Metro’s bus fleet.

"The Metro authority's 1,460 buses serve more than 350 routes and make 442,787 trips daily. Under the new plan, Metro will spend $488m introducing 900 new buses.

"It will also invest in technology to help match routes to demand and allow customers to track buses’ whereabouts via cell phone or the internet.

"Popular bus stops would get electronic signs, with an eye towards eventually installing such signs at every bus stop. The plan also calls for a new radio system to improve communication with drivers on their routes." From an Economist.com email