Darren Phillips

Aggies aren’t yet traveling through tubes, beaming around campus or riding in hovercrafts, but that doesn’t mean their transit system isn’t up-to-date. GPS bus tracking, LED displays and even a gaming platform inform Aggies and help them better move around campus.

Buses serving NMSU are now equipped with a GPS tracking system from a company called NextBus, which allows students to better time their travel. Information from the NextBus system locates buses and gives their arrival times. Users find those times by sending a text, visiting the Web or by calling 646-4BUS.

Bus shelters equipped with LED displays and free Wi-Fi access also have been constructed at several campus locations. The displays give arrival and other pertinent information to travelers while the Wi-Fi access allows students another way to connect to the Web while they wait.

The upgrades are a result of the coordinated efforts between the university’s Associated Students of NMSU, Transportation and Parking Services and Information and Communication Technologies.

“We’re trying to make sure routes are safe and timely for students,” says Bethany List, director of services for ASNMSU. “We also want to make things more user-friendly.”

List said she hopes the updates will encourage more students to use public transportation. A system that provides real-time travel information, instead of relying on a printed schedule, may persuade students to opt for “greener” alternatives to driving.

Another way for students to connect to their surroundings is through an application called SCVNGR, a location-based game that searches a user’s surrounding area and finds nearby places where other users or businesses have created challenges and activities. When users complete a challenge, they earn points for things like discounts or giveaways at participating locations.