When bus riders glance at the city’s bus map, they may notice the new look of VIA Metropolitan Transit’s mapping system.
The new color-coded map promises more comprehensive representations with visual details on the bus types used on a route (e.g. VIA Primo) and the frequency of bus arrivals.
Josh Baugh, VIA’s director of communications and strategic initiatives, said the system map hasn’t been updated in about 15 years.
“We wanted to make sure we provided our existing and future customers with an easy-to-navigate and clear platform so they could understand how our system works and how to navigate our region,” Baugh said.
The focus of the map was on frequency and ensuring passengers know how often the bus stops in their area.
“The color coding helps people understand where our most frequently used routes are and then decide how they want to get around the community based on frequency,” Baugh said.
Passengers riding Primo buses during the day will see a dark red line for buses arriving every 15 minutes or less, or a light red line for buses arriving every 20 minutes.
If you want to take the standard buses, you will see a dark blue line that runs every 30 minutes, a light blue line that runs every 40-60 minutes, and a gold line that runs every 60 minutes.
The redesign took about a year to complete, with a draft map created using community feedback before the final version was released and can now be seen throughout the city.
“We are currently in the process of updating the displays at the park-and-ride facilities and distributing printed maps to the information centers throughout our service area,” Baugh said.
On the back of the card you will find a fare table and all the lines with their departure times. On the VIA website you will also find a route planner that will help you see which buses you need to take from your starting point to your destination.
