A November 15 editorial entitled “Bump in the NightRide” shared some interesting and provocative feedback about TransLoc’s transit visualization service (uchicago.transloc.com).  We were very pleased to read that the Maroon Editorial Board finds the TransLoc site and mobile apps “indispensable.” Our purpose is to make mass transit an easy option for riders, in large part by reducing the uncertainty described in the editorial. We were less pleased to read that the Editorial Board finds the TransLoc site and apps “frequently unreliable” and would like to take a moment to explain why service at the U of C may at times be problematic.

One thing that makes TransLoc unique is our willingness to utilize existing equipment that a customer already owns. Such is the case at UChicago: The location data coming from some of the vehicles is provided by another vendor of tracking hardware. As a result, there are times the data feed experiences interruptions, causing inaccurate information to appear on TransLoc’s site and apps. We sincerely apologize for these instances, and are working with the CTA and the third-party hardware provider to do everything we can to minimize their occurrences.

We take quality, reliability and customer service very seriously, and we welcome feedback from our riders. We are always available and listening on Twitter (@Transloc) and at support@transloc.com. Please let us know if the TransLoc site or apps ever display incorrect or untimely information so that we may continue to improve the service.

We’d like to thank everyone at UChicago for the opportunity to serve you. We are very proud to have you as one of our customers, and you have our commitment that we will do everything in our power to ensure that you receive industry-leading service from us.

—Daniel Flowe, General Manager of Operations at TransLoc, Inc.