Blog
February 3, 2022
Detours are an inevitable part of public transit. Unfortunately for many transit professionals, headaches are also seen as an inevitable part of detours. Whether it’s an operator making a turn down the wrong street, a dispatcher spending their entire shift on the radio, or a rider waiting for a severely delayed bus, detours always seem to ruin somebody’s day.
Here at Swiftly, we believe it doesn’t have to be this way. Today we’re excited to announce the launch of Detours in Onboard App, a new integration that streamlines how agencies implement and execute detours. Here’s how it works.
Last year we announced Detours in Service Adjustments, a set of features that lets operations staff make the most common detour-related service changes right in the Swiftly Dashboard. We also introduced the Map View in our Onboard App, which adds an intuitive map to Onboard App for operators to navigate during their shifts.
Starting today, Detours in Onboard App marries the two, allowing Service Adjustments to automatically flow into our operator-facing Onboard App. This removes much of the guesswork that operators face when detours are in effect. Service Adjustments are now viewable in Onboard App, making both products even more powerful than before.
Suppose there’s a disruption along a route, and dispatch needs to implement a detour. Dispatch staff can now draw a detour in the Swiftly Dashboard, and detour information will automatically flow to the Map View within Onboard App. Vehicle operators on buses with Onboard App will see where along the route the detour is in effect, which stops are closed, and where to turn.
Onboard App will automatically switch to the Map View when a detour is approaching, and return to the operator's preferred view once it is complete.
These changes represent the next step in the evolution of Swiftly. Now operations staff can make Service Adjustments right in the Swiftly Dashboard and can be confident that the changes will flow seamlessly to everyone who needs to know -- now including operators.
With detours only becoming more common in the next few years as cities receive billions of dollars in federal infrastructure funding, we’re happy to make a product that will keep operators, dispatch staff, and riders informed of planned and unexpected service changes.
See how Swiftly can improve service reliability, passenger information, and operational efficiency at your agency with an in-depth demo.