Track the Trolley is back

Track The Trolley is back this semester as a resource for students to use. As of January 16, the popular program that allows students to get a startlingly accurate readout of the trolley’s location is back in full swing at Mercer.
The revival of the program brings to our attention some attractive new features that give the project new life and have the potential to appeal to our new, technologically savvy generation of Mercerians.
“The system that Vice President Ekeke and I selected has many features that students will find very useful,” explained Jordan Locke, senior class president of the Mercer Student Government Association (SGA).
While new students anticipate utilizing the revived program, some of the more seasoned Mercerians wonder why the program was ever discontinued.
“At the end of the White/Giddens administration, it was realized that the carrier for the former Trolley Tracker was no longer supported,” said Locke. “Therefore, at the beginning of the year, Ike and I started looking at options to bring it back.”
“I worked directly with Mickey Belonte from the Information Technology department to select the best program for Mercer Students,” Locke said.
The SGA senators, in conjunction with Information Technology, settled on a program called TransLoc. This program is used by numerous universities across the country, including Georgia Tech.
“I started corresponding with Mr. Belote this summer, but it took until now to get the specifics of the program settled,” explained Locke. “The Trolley Tracker went live [Jan. 16]. Any student can access it from http://trolley.mercer.edu/ or from the SGA website.”
It makes sense that the program is so common among university campuses. After some minor changes, Track The Trolley seems more convenient than ever.
It now offers a text message feature that allows Mercerians to get real-time trolley updates on any personal cellular device capable of text messaging.
The reprise of the program also allows students to gain instant access to the service on smart phones. As the cliché goes, now ‘there’s an app for that!’
If students don’t own a smart phone but have service with Verizon Wireless, they can download a Track The Trolley add-on from the News and Information section in the Get It Now menu.
“I’m very excited that our administration was able to bring the trolley tracking system back. It is a service that is extremely beneficial to students,” said Locke. “Our administration’s aim is to make feasible changes to Mercer. I think that this change is both useful and practical to the well-being of the student body,” he concluded.
Regular trolley hours are from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. Wednesdays thru Saturdays. The trolley departs from Mercer after briefly stopping at two designated pickup locations: the circle between McCorkle and Greek Row and the Connell Student Center lot. It makes numerous stops downtown, including several popular club-centric locations.
For more infrmation on Our College Town transportation, Track The Trolley apps and mobile device compatibility, visit http://trolley.mercer.edu. Download the app to track the trolley at your convenience.