After being delayed for a semester, Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) is installing tracking hardware this summer that will allow students to track buses live on its Web site in the fall.

Previously, CATA had projected the installations to be completed this semester but was delayed as it worked with a contractor to determine what hardware it needed to purchase, Sherry Snyder, assistant director of transportation at CATA, said.

The automatic vehicle locator (AVL) system will be installed in all Loop/Link and Centre Line buses this summer and aims to help both students and CATA officials, Eric Bernier, CATA service development manager, said.

"It will allow us to manage the service better because we will know -- and so will you sitting in front of your browser -- where the buses are at all times," Bernier said. "That alone will go a long way to manage situations that cause overloads -- we will be able to see when buses start to bunch up and be able to act quicker instead of waiting until it happens."

The project will cost $728,155, but 80 percent of the cost, $582,524, will be funded through federal grants, Judy Minor, director of administration for CATA, said.

Bernier said Avail Technologies Inc., will install GPS receivers into CATA's 52 buses, along with radios that can then transmit the vehicle's location, after the spring semester ends.

"If you're sitting in class with your laptop, you'll be able to see exactly where the buses are on the route," Bernier said. "This tool will help riders better anticipate when the buses are going to be there."

Several students said they think the new system is a good idea, whether or not they are regular bus riders.

"I probably wouldn't use it because I don't use the bus," Jessica Deal (freshman-mathematics) said. "But it's a good idea."

Patrick Kochanasz (junior-history) said it would be useful because he lives off campus.

"I would definitely use it because I live out at Nittany Crossing," he said.

After the basic components are added this summer, CATA could expand the service by offering text messaging, automated phone messages and external and internal automated stop annunciation. The automated system would work much like a subway system by announcing what the next stop is to those onboard and what bus is arriving to those riders waiting to get on. It will also be valuable for people who are visually impaired, Bernier said.

"With these components inside the bus, not only will we know where the bus is at, the bus will know where the bus is," Bernier said. "This will be particularly valuable for people who aren't familiar with the area, such as new students."

There is not a specific timeline for these new components to be installed because CATA has to wait for funding from the federal government through capital grants or earmarks. In the past, CATA has been fairly successful in getting grants because of its "innovative service," Bernier said.

"For a small transit system, we have been very aggressive in utilizing new approaches and new technologies," Bernier said.

CATA would like to be able to add new components on an annual basis, he added.