UW student creates new online tool for transit riders
Apr 12, 2019, 12:14 PM
(KC Metro)
(KC Metro)
Kona Farry, 21, is a self-described 鈥渂us nerd.鈥� When the Marysville native moved to Seattle in 2016 to start school at the University of Washington, he became fascinated with the local transit system.
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鈥淯sing the bus every day to go places and do things, and just found it incredible to live somewhere where that鈥檚 a viable option,鈥� Farry said.
His obsession turned into a website, called the , or P-Track for short. It uses GPS and real-time data from local agencies to map out the precise location of each bus, light rail, and street car.
鈥淵ou can actually just see on a map, 鈥極h, there鈥檚 the bus and it will be here once it gets from there to here,鈥欌�� Farry said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 just better to see a dot on a map and wait for that to get to you.鈥�
P-Track offers a range of data for Farry鈥檚 fellow 鈥渢ransit-geeks,鈥� including the total number of transit vehicles on the road, their model, and how on time they are.
Farry began designing P-Track in December without any prior coding experience. He unveiled the website March 25.
鈥淚鈥檝e learned everything along the way,鈥� Farry said.
He hopes to develop his website into a smartphone app this summer.
Farry is studying community, environment, and planning at UW. Eventually, he鈥檇 like to pursue a career in transportation planning.
