SmartSAT: A customizable mobile web application toward improving the efficiency and equitable access of San Antonio’s public transit services

Abstract

SmartSAT is a mobile web application designed to enhance the efficiency and equitable access of San Antonio’s public transit services, providing real-time bus arrival predictions, notifying riders of seat availability, and gathering rider’s feedback. It aims to leverage technology to deliver an inclusive service with potential impacts for social equality, and enhancement of overall ridership experience. Two studies were conducted to access the impact of SmartSAT on the actual bus arrival times and rider’s communte experience. The findings of the arrival times analysis indicated that certain routes exhibited very slow average differences between their actual and schedule arrival times while a couple displayed a big average difference showing significant delayes and deviations from the schedules timetable. The rider experience study found that there is a differential in the feelings of access to the city’s public transit system held by poor, working-class, and Latinx communities in San Antonio. These findings suggest the need for regular minitoring and optimazation of the bus schedules to improve the effieiency and inclusive access to the current transportaiton system. The outcomes of the study primarily benefit San Antonio residents, especially for underserved communities, leading to an enhancement of its transit network infrastructure.