Students and faculty using Android phones will now be able to view the precise location of any Wolfline bus from anywhere they have access to Wi-Fi by downloading a free Android app through Transloc, Inc.

According to Hua Ying Ling, Transloc mobile developer and former web developer in N.C. State’s Office of Information Technology, the new app will allow students and faculty with Android phones to track any Wolfline bus from their Android smartphone.

“It delivers real-time bus tracking information to your Android phone,” Ling said. “You can view all the Wolfline routes along with arrival prediction for when the next bus will arrive at your stop.” Ling said this app will not only allow students to skip the long waits for buses, it will allow them to use their time wisely.

“Students are super-busy,” Ling said. “I think this will help them manage their time more efficiently, meaning they’d spend less time standing at the stop waiting for the bus, in the cold or heat, and more time spent doing something productive.”

This free app for Android phones is currently available at 21 different institutions, from N.C. State and Yale to the Children’s Hospital in Boston. Transloc’s website also lists the general Triangle region as an area the app will cover in the near future.

According to Ling, N.C. State students and faculty already have the ability to track Wolfline buses through the University’s Office of Transportation website and iPhone app.

“Android users could already access the information on the go via our mobile web site, but we received a lot of requests for a dedicated app,” Ling said. “The app is faster than the mobile site and in time it will allow us to add features that are simply not possible via the mobile web.”

According to Ling, the Android version of the app was created last semester by N.C. State computer science students as part of their senior design project, but it will continue to improve.

“The app is still in beta, but we’ve had an overwhelming response within the first couple of days,” Ling said. “The feedback has been positive, though there’ve been numerous feature requests since the feature set is not on par with the iPhone app yet.  I’m working hard to change that.”

Ling said some of the changes proposed to the app include ways to run bus multiple routes at once.

“There will be more interface refinements, including switching to a tab interface to make it easier to access the routes list and announcements,” Ling said. “We also hope to support displaying multiple routes at the same time, like we do on our iPhone app.”

According to Transloc representative Josh Cohen, Transloc is already in the process of making changes to the app based on their observations and consumer feedback, and will definitely be releasing updated versions of the app in the future.

“This is the first release of the Android app, and we’re already looking to make more improvements,” Cohen said. “If students like the app now, they’ll like it even more later.”

According to Christine Klein, public communication specialist for the University’s Office of Transportation, the development of the Android app was a natural development of the company’s partnership with the University.

“We are always trying to find ways to make it easier and safer for students to move about the University, and we’re greatly appreciative of the user-friendly applications Transloc has provided us so far,” Klein said. “Ever since our first initiation of Transloc’s applications, we’ve gotten so much positive feedback. I actually can’t think of one negative comment made about it.” 

Students and faculty using Android phones will now be able to view the precise location of any Wolfline bus from anywhere they have access to Wi-Fi by downloading a free Android app through Transloc, Inc.

According to Hua Ying Ling, Transloc mobile developer and former web developer in N.C. State’s Office of Information Technology, the new app will allow students and faculty with Android phones to track any Wolfline bus from their Android smartphone.

“It delivers real-time bus tracking information to your Android phone,” Ling said. “You can view all the Wolfline routes along with arrival prediction for when the next bus will arrive at your stop.” Ling said this app will not only allow students to skip the long waits for buses, it will allow them to use their time wisely.

“Students are super-busy,” Ling said. “I think this will help them manage their time more efficiently, meaning they’d spend less time standing at the stop waiting for the bus, in the cold or heat, and more time spent doing something productive.”

This free app for Android phones is currently available at 21 different institutions, from N.C. State and Yale to the Children’s Hospital in Boston. Transloc’s website also lists the general Triangle region as an area the app will cover in the near future.

According to Ling, N.C. State students and faculty already have the ability to track Wolfline buses through the University’s Office of Transportation website and iPhone app.

“Android users could already access the information on the go via our mobile web site, but we received a lot of requests for a dedicated app,” Ling said. “The app is faster than the mobile site and in time it will allow us to add features that are simply not possible via the mobile web.”

According to Ling, the Android version of the app was created last semester by N.C. State computer science students as part of their senior design project, but it will continue to improve.

“The app is still in beta, but we’ve had an overwhelming response within the first couple of days,” Ling said. “The feedback has been positive, though there’ve been numerous feature requests since the feature set is not on par with the iPhone app yet.  I’m working hard to change that.”

Ling said some of the changes proposed to the app include ways to run bus multiple routes at once.

“There will be more interface refinements, including switching to a tab interface to make it easier to access the routes list and announcements,” Ling said. “We also hope to support displaying multiple routes at the same time, like we do on our iPhone app.”

According to Transloc representative Josh Cohen, Transloc is already in the process of making changes to the app based on their observations and consumer feedback, and will definitely be releasing updated versions of the app in the future.

“This is the first release of the Android app, and we’re already looking to make more improvements,” Cohen said. “If students like the app now, they’ll like it even more later.”

According to Christine Klein, public communication specialist for the University’s Office of Transportation, the development of the Android app was a natural development of the company’s partnership with the University.

“We are always trying to find ways to make it easier and safer for students to move about the University, and we’re greatly appreciative of the user-friendly applications Transloc has provided us so far,” Klein said. “Ever since our first initiation of Transloc’s applications, we’ve gotten so much positive feedback. I actually can’t think of one negative comment made about it.”