This fall, N.Y.-based University of Rochester’s (UR) Parking and Transportation Services began the roll-out of 19 new buses, updating its shuttle fleet that serves University of Rochester students, faculty and staff.

The fleet upgrade will be completely in place by early January, with each new bus equipped with features that add efficiencies and safety to the shuttle service.

University ID card readers are being introduced on all buses. Beginning this week, riders will need to have their UR ID card ready to swipe upon boarding all buses. If a passenger does not have their ID card, the driver will need to log the information manually.

The card swipe will provide location and time data needed to assess routes and ridership. This information will be shared with the university's Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC), which includes representatives from all the academic units, students from SA government and the Graduate Organizing Group, along with representatives from the Medical Center and Parking and Transportation. TAC assists in monitoring and evaluating shuttle services and routes to maximize efficiency in university transportation.

Real-time bus location and arrival tracking will be available for all routes through TransLoc, a service that allows riders to view the buses as they travel on routes on and off campus. The buses have GPS technology and can be tracked from a smartphone through UR's mobile app.

As a new passenger safety measure, the new fleet is equipped with drive-cams, a popular feature on buses today that allows Parking and Transportation Services to capture video on both rider and driver activity.