The facts speak for themselves: Proposed GPS tracking for the Jeoy is still nowhere in sight. Nearly three semesters after the system was supposed to launch, the project is at yet another crossroads, and student enthusiasm for the initiative is waning.
In light of these circumstances, we don't see any compelling reason that student energy and financial capital should continue to be spent on bringing GPS technology to the shuttle that runs between Tufts and Davis Square.
A Joey that runs on schedule would be more helpful and less expensive for those that currently use the shuttle service. If students could count on the bus to reliably run to and from campus at the scheduled times, there would be virtually no need for any satellite tracking.
After all, the Joey's route is so compact that it is unnecessary to develop a complex system to track its whereabouts. When traveling by T or by MBTA bus, students don't need to consult a satellite signal to find out when precisely the next bus or train will arrive at their station; they simply show up at their local T or bus stop and wait with the confidence that the next vehicle will arrive in relatively short amount of time.
We wouldn't object to the idea of tracking the Joey via GPS were it not for the fact that so much time as already been devoted to the project with no progress to be seen on that investment.
Given that, after years of work, so many details of the project are still not clearly defined, there should not be any sore sentiments at seeing it dropped. This is one instance in which technology is not going to drastically improve quality of life. What can be done with a bus schedule doesn't need to be accomplished with satellite signals.
Don't hold your breath waiting for the unveiling of this high-tech initiative. You'd do better to rely on your own two feet and make the 15-minute walk.
Because if you can't, what's next? Sensors in Carmichael to tell you when the Tuesday night stir fry line is at optimum waiting length?
We're not trying to advocate a return to the Stone Age or launch a paranoid anti-technology campaign. This generation knows full well that technology has a limitless capacity to improve the convenience and efficiency of our day-to-day lives.
But sometimes, going high-tech means simply tinkering for tinkering's sake. In this case, the effort is simply not worth the outcome.
