Smartphone users now have access to a free app that will help them navigate the AppalCART.
Sophomore computer science major Brian Clee created the app, called AsUBus, which provides the same information as the AppalCART booklet on your smartphone or mobile device.
Already, the app has grossed over 500 downloads on iTunes.
The app includes all 11 routes and features like a minute-by-minute countdown to calculate how long you have until the bus arrives at the chosen stop and a “Favorites” feature where you can easily see your most frequented stops.
The app can also recognize your current location and provides the closest bus stops to where you are.
Clee said it began as a final project for a mobile programming course.
His professor was really impressed so he began to perfect it, Clee said.
It’s still a work in progress, Clee said. He spends a couple of hours every day, sometimes up to six, working on the app to make it more user friendly.
Clee said he created the app because he uses the AppalCART to visit friends and his girlfriend about everyday.
“I thought it could be a lot simpler, especially for freshmen,” Clee said.
Clee said that AppalCART is not involved as of yet, but he checks the AppalCART page daily to make sure he has up-to-date information on the app.
Finance Officer for AppalCART Michael Norwood said management have discussed joining but “no decision has been made.”
Clee plans to upgrade the app in the future, but says he doesn’t have the funding.
“I wanted to add GPS to the buses so people could see where they are in real time, but AppalCART said that they were not willing to fund it,” Clee said. “I need more people to get the app first. So far, all the feedback has been good.”
Sophomore graphic design major Maria Martinez-Rodriguez said she really likes it so far.
“If I miss a bus, I know how much time I have until the next one arrives,” she said.
Clee said he is trying to apply for scholarships both through the Department of computer Science and Walker College of Business for his entrepreneurial efforts in order to raise the capital he needs to improve his creation.
Story: JOSHUA FARMER, Intern News Reporter
Photo: MAGGIE COZENS, Photo Editor