The GPS unit that tracks the Davis Square shuttle, commonly known as the Joey, has broken down and will receive an update, according to Tufts Community Union (TCU) Treasurer Matt Shapanka. The Joey takes its nickname from the company, Joseph's Limousine and Transportation, that provides the bus.
The Joey GPS, which is installed in the largest bus that performs the shuttle run to and from Davis Square, recently stopped working due to outdated software, Shapanka said.
"The JoeyTracker for the white bus should be up and running again in the next week or so," Shapanka said. "We're going to examine why it failed and make sure that it doesn't happen again. The old software will be updated for free, so we're going to actually benefit from the deal."
Shapanka has spearheaded efforts to implement and then improve the JoeyTracker since 2005. He helped set up the system last semester.
Shapanka did not know precisely how long the broken JoeyTracker, one of two currently installed in a Joey bus, has been down, but he estimated at least one week. "Ironically, I don't use the JoeyTracker very much," he said.
TCU President Duncan Pickard said that he often takes advantage of the JoeyTracker. "It's a great service to provide. It takes advantage of a lot of new technology," he said. "It's really accessible. I use it all the time."
Shapanka first took on the idea of implementing a Joey GPS as a freshman. "The Joey provides transportation to Davis, and it's a great service, but it gets a lot of complaints," he said. "What I wanted to do was make the service better and more reliable so that students would be happier with it."
The shuttle system is bound by certain regulations that disallow altering the schedule or route. It is barred from driving on side streets due to noise regulations, and purchasing another Joey would not be cost-effective, Shapanka said.
"Basically, the only thing we could do to make the Joey more convenient was to install a GPS tracking system," Shapanka said. "We tried to do it ourselves, but it just didn't work very well for the first two years."
Last year, then-senior Dan Gross put Shapanka in touch with UBlip, a Dallas-based company that advertises itself as providing "out of the box GPS tracking products."
UBlip was enthusiastic about collaborating with the Senate to produce a viable GPS for the Joey, according to Shapanka. "They told us that our idea was exactly what their company was there for," he said.
UBlip agreed to donate the first Joey GPS tracking system. Tufts' Department of Public Safety agreed to purchase a second GPS tracker from UBlip last year.
Students can access the JoeyTracker online at joey.tufts.edu, which features a map of the Joey's route and an image of the bus as it travels on its course. The Web site has seen 16,000 hits thus far, according to Shapanka.
"The student reaction to the JoeyTracker has been good — about what I expected," Shapanka said. "I didn't expect it to be earth-shattering."
Some students said they often take advantage of the service. "The JoeyTracker is a great system," sophomore Taylor Baljon said. "It's useful to know where the Joey is without going outside. I've never had any problems with it."
Some expressed frustration at the recent breakdown. Freshman Sarah Rauh said she has only used the JoeyTracker once, and was dissatisfied when she did. "The Web site wasn't updating when I tried to use it," she said. "I would probably use it more if I knew that it was reliable and if it was more easily accessible through the TuftsLife Web site."
Shapanka plans to expand the service by implementing a texting system for the JoeyTracker in order to make the service accessible to students off campus.
"I get texts and calls all the time from people in Davis asking me where the Joey is, if I can look it up for them, that sort of thing," Shapanka said. "People have definitely integrated the JoeyTracker into their lives. When it's working, it's a really great service."
