The Joey GPS project is still encountering hurdles, now almost three semesters after it was supposed to be fully functional. And junior Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senator Matt Shapanka, who has been in charge of the initiative since its inception, is planning to start over almost from scratch with no set timeline for completion.
Shapanka unveiled the proposal during the 2005-2006 academic year as a way to allow students to track the progress of the Davis Square shuttle, more commonly called the Joey, via the Internet.
He initially planned on using a GPS-enabled cell phone that would be placed in the shuttle every morning, but this moving component proved to be logistically challenging.
Shapanka is now looking into technology that could be more securely attached to the shuttle so that it would not have to be reinstalled daily.
At peak weekend hours, there are two shuttles in operation, but he would like to start by putting the GPS unit in only one of them. If this test run is successful, he would look into acquiring a second one.
He could not say when any of this would happen.
"I'm in the process of taking a whole new approach to [the project] but there's been no progress on that," he said. "As of now there is no plan; it's just an idea."
Shapanka initially predicted that the project would be completed by last fall. Last spring, he expressed confidence that it would be done by the beginning of this semester.
Now that both deadlines have come and passed, he realizes that student enthusiasm has waned.
"They think it's an interesting project but they've lost confidence that it's actually going to happen soon, and I understand that," he said.
Still, he said he plans on seeing it through to completion. "I am committed to making sure that this happens, but I do want to make sure that it will be feasible," he said.
Shapanka said a fixed, on-board system would meet this criterion more adequately than a constantly-moving cell phone.
"I think that's the only way to make it sustainable," he said.
The current plan will be more expensive than the cell phone option. Shapanka did not have any specific projections, but said that the cost will still be reasonable. "What I'm looking into is a very cost-effective system," he said.
While the project has fallen off of most students' radar, Shapanka feels it will be appreciated when it is finished.
"It really is something that I think would add ... to the Joey service, which is already very good," he said.
TCU President Neil DiBiase agreed.
"I don't think that it's something that's at the top of everybody's priority list, but it's a realistic project that will have an impact on the everyday lives of students," he said.
