SERVICE
Patience is a virtue that's been eroded by advances in technology - high-speed data lines, Pentium chips, instant Jell-O. Thankfully, our accelerated paraphernalia has finally penetrated the mystery of glacial public transportation.
I tested NextBus, a wireless Web site that uses satellite tracking to tell you when a bus is due to arrive at your stop, on the streets of San Francisco - the service's pilot city. Armed with an Ericsson R280LX and a list of errands, I stood at a bus stop in front of a pet store and check-cashing joint - one of those frustrating 22-Fillmore stops where a gentle hill keeps you from seeing oncoming traffic.
And so I pulled out my phone and connected. I selected my bus route and stop from the NextBus menus, and the tiny screen read "No current prediction." Hmmm. I tried it again, and it told me that my bus would arrive in 6 minutes. And so it did. While I was waiting, I asked an off-duty bus driver standing nearby what he thought of the service. "What's the point?" he scoffed. "They're always late anyway."
NextBus lets you track San Francisco buses from any wireless Web device by entering the address www.nextbus.com on your handset's screen. (If you're really bored, you can track San Francisco buses from Peoria too.) NextBus has placed GPS receivers on the roofs of several coaches and trains; these units relay data via a cellular link to the NextBus server, which estimates the time it will need to get to your stop based on speed records for that route.
But what about something to help me deal with the anxiety-producing crawl through the Saturday traffic? Damn - I'm late for my meditation class.
NextBus Information Systems: free; www.nextbus.com.
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