What may seem like a simple addition to bus stops in Jefferson City will make it easier to plan routes across town.
The city's Transit Division recently added signs to all JeffTran bus stops that let people know which routes come to that stop.
Transit Division Director Mark Mehmert said they added the signs as part of the process to have the city's bus system incorporated into the Google Maps program.
Google Maps is a GPS program available online and via a smartphone app. The program includes options for planning routes via car, walking, public transit and other methods.
JeffTran routes have already been visible on the DoubleMap app, but the app doesn't help riders plan out routes. By setting a route in Google Maps, the program gives estimated travel times as well as directions and which bus routes to take.
"I can be somewhere on (Missouri) Boulevard and say I want to go to Gerbes East, and you can pull up Google Maps, hit the transit button, and it'll tell you how to do that," Mehmert said.
Previously, JeffTran routes were not set up to work in the program, he said.
"It's kind of unusual for cities our size," Mehmert said. "Larger systems, like New York and Boston, they all have that, but it's not common in small urbans."
The Transit Division is also adding benches to some bus stops with heavy traffic as resources allow.
Additionally, Mehmert said, they are working to acquire new security cameras for the larger buses to replace old equipment from 2005-06.
Mehmert said they will send out a request for proposals on the security cameras next week.
In house, the division is working to implement a program for bus routing, which is now done manually.
The program will learn the JeffTran system and allow the buses to run more efficiently.
The Transit Division recently received a $2.3 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, which will be used to help cover the bus system's operational costs over the next three years.
Ridership is down on public transit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant funds will help balance that.
"We're really happy about the CARES grant," Mehmert said. "That really has made a difference for us and will continue to make a difference for us. It will enable us to keep the system moving."