LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Transit Authority of River City is taking a new step to enhance the customer experience, installing an updated digital communications system on all buses this winter. 


What You Need To Know

  • TARC is installing a new digital communications system on all buses this winter 

  • Customers can expect convenient access to real-time locations for buses on their smartphones and enhanced audio and visual announcements while riding

  • The previous system was more than a decade old, TARC said, causing reliability issues and frustrations for riders 

  • Federal grants support most of the new equipment and installation

TARC said customers can expect convenient access to real-time locations for buses on their smartphones, enhanced audio and visual announcements on every TARC bus for easier navigation of the system and overall improvements to TARC's operations.

The system is called CAD/AVL, which stands for Computer-Aided Dispatch/Automatic Vehicle Location. TARC said its previous CAD/AVL system was more than a decade old, causing reliability issues and frustrations for riders looking for real-time bus information. Federal grants support most of the new equipment and installation. 

"While TARC keeps navigating the fiscal cliff facing our operation's funding, we will keep doing everything we can to improve the daily experience of our customers," said Ozzy Gibson, TARC executive director. "This new system will be top of the line and get TARC customers the information they need, better than ever before."

Installation should take a couple of months, TARC said; however, the equipment is already on 41 buses, including 11 buses that have been in a pilot phase while continuing to serve customers. A significant improvement with the new software is on-bus screens that display and announce upcoming stops, similar to what customers in hundreds of cities already have, such as regional peers in Indianapolis and Cincinnati.

TARC said it asks customers for patience as it installs the new system, as the switch between real-time providers requires a down period where parts of the existing real-time system will become unavailable and buses on schedule may not appear on applications until the changeover is complete. TARC Customer Service can access both systems, and those with bus location inquiries can contact 502-585-1234. 

"Once the new system is fully installed, TARC customers will see close to 100% reliable real-time data all day, every day," Gibson said. "That's the kind of good news we're excited to deliver to our customers."

TARC delivers transportation services to the greater Louisville community, operating 24 routes in the Louisville area and southern Indiana. 

Connor Smith - Digital Producer

Connor Smith is a digital producer for Spectrum News 1 in Louisville, Kentucky. He joined the team in November 2023 and hails from the Chicago area. In summer 2023, he received his Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern's Medill School in Chicago, where he covered Super Bowl LVII, the Chicago Marathon and other stories around the city.