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metro news Let Everyone Enjoy The Ride Improve passenger safety, eliminate tip-overs and reduce operator involvement by deploying Quantum — the world's first automatic wheelchair securement system. Thinking Beyond Safety STEP 2 Quantum's arms move to secure the wheelchair in place, and continually adjust their grip as needed throughout the journey. STEP 1 With the vehicle safely stopped, the Quantum unit is ready for the wheelchair passenger. Once the passenger's wheelchair is centered against the backrest, the press of a button engages the automatic locking sequence. STEP 3 Only when the bus stops at the destination can the Quantum release sequence be engaged so the passenger can disembark. 11 APRIL 2014 m ETRO m AGAZINE > Some Utah Transit Author- ity (UTA) bus and train rid- ers are getting a sneak peek at wearable technology now that Utah.gov has launched "OnTime for Glass," a transit tracking app for Google Glass. Google Glass users will be able to receive real-time in- formation alerts for an ap- proaching bus or train, view route information and track transit vehicle locations in real time. Riders use voice and tap commands to view the real-time information that they customize on a screen in front of the right eye. Although Google Glass is currently only available to people whom Google invites to join its Glass Explorer Program, according to the Google.com website, the state of Utah decided to test the capabili- ties of the device as a way to get more ex- perience working with what could be the next popular technology, David Fletch- er, chief technology officer, Utah De- partment of Technology Services (DTS) said. DTS already had in place the operat- ing system and tools to enable develop- ers to create the software applications and the transit data to create the app, so it was easy and inexpensive to experi- ment with Google Glass and see how a small set of users interacts with it, Fletch- er explained. "When people start developing for wearables, they're going to find that it doesn't require big development proj- ects, if they've already got systems in place that do this for mobile," he added. DTS was able to enlist many entrepre- neurs who are both testing the technol- ogy as part of Google's program and use the UTA transit system. "That gave us some experience to in- teract with wearable technology and get our developers' feet wet with [it], and with a fairly small development cost," Fletcher said. DTS is working on the app with Utah Interactive, which created the Utah.gov portal and some of its online and mobile services. The number of people currently us- ing the app in Google Glass is only in the hundreds, Fletcher says. "Normally, we wouldn't do an app like that for that small of a group. This is just a test case for us, something that we want- ed to interact with the interface." The feedback has been positive so far, and those who are road-testing the On- Time for Glass use it on a daily basis, Fletcher said. In the meantime, DTS is taking a wait- and-see attitude with further develop- ment, depending on the future of the technology. "We don't have any follow-up in mind until Google Glass or an iWatch goes into production and becomes a widely-used device," Fletcher said. The agency's next move also depends on the preferences of its users. "Our goal is to provide the best service for our largest number of users," Fletcher added. "As we see things grow, we want to be able to respond quickly. When we did our first iPhone app, it took off pretty quickly, so we want to be ready when the wearables market takes off." Utah creates Google Glass transit tracking app A small group of UTA riders who are part of Google's Glass Explorer Program are testing OnTime for Glass, which provides customized real-time arrival information. Photo courtesy Antonio Zugaldia via Wikimedia Commons M E T R O 0 4 1 4 _ n e w s . i n d d 1 1 METRO0414_news.indd 11 3 / 1 8 / 1 4 1 0 : 5 3 A M 3/18/14 10:53 AM