Get Me to the Office on Time: Microsoft Equips Corporate Campus Buses for Efficient Service

This article describes the Microsoft Shuttle, a corporate campus transportation system that uses Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to manage a schedule with frequent runs while also helping employees travel back and forth more efficiently. The fleet is comprised of 48 shuttles, buses, and automobiles, and the service provides 2,000 trips a day covering 74 locations on the campus. The previous communications system, equipped with cell phones, two-way radios, and limited GPS capability, was not able to keep up with such a high demand. With the new shuttle service, automatic vehicle location (AVL) software and automated communication and data-collection processes all help to improve GPS capabilities. Each fleet vehicle is mounted with a GPS receiver, wireless modem and a data collection device. Real-time GPS data is immediately accessible to dispatchers. In addition to the improved service, the new system also improves the collection of trip statistics, thus giving managers historical service demand data necessary for planning better routes and bus positioning.