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For little over a month now, DASH buses in downtown Los Angeles have been enabled with GPS. The results are two-fold: it helps drivers space out their distance to the bus before them (so two buses don't arrive at the same stop at the same time) and it gives riders the edge of knowing when the next bus will arrive (or where exactly is the bus I'm waiting for at?).
Today, Eric Richardson at blogdowntown points out a useful tip, now that the city is printing transit stop identification numbers on DASH stop signs. "Just make a call to (213) 785-3858, press 0, and then type in the stop number (for instance, "6140" in the pictured sign)," he says. "You can also get arrivals via text by sending a message to 41411 that says "dtdash" and the stop number (for instance, "dtdash 6140")."
Additionally, you can find the info on a smartphone via the website. Best of all, you can watch in real time as you wait at the stop.
Now, if they could only get this technology for the other DASH lines around the city. Waiting for the "is it ever going to come?" Van Nuys/Studio City DASH is never fun.
