{"id":2405,"date":"2026-07-30T13:46:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T13:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/?p=2405"},"modified":"2026-07-30T13:46:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T13:46:04","slug":"wait-what-exactly-are-you-doing-at-these-bus-stops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wait-what-exactly-are-you-doing-at-these-bus-stops\/","title":{"rendered":"Wait, what exactly are you doing at these bus stops?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cAre you just riding the bus everywhere?\u201d \u201cWhat are you\u00a0actually doing\u00a0at each stop? \u201cYou\u2019re taking\u00a0<\/span>how much<\/span><\/i>\u00a0to each stop?\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The chorus of my summer.\u00a0My friends and family assume they understand when I tell them that I\u2019m doing inventory, but when the conversation continues, I get to dig into just how much I actually do!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My name is Della Avent, and I am a senior Computer Science and German Studies double major, known this summer as Bus Stop Barbie at my internship with\u00a0Greenlink, Greenville\u2019s public transport system.\u00a0Though I have been included in a multitude of projects, my main focus has been on bus stops.\u00a0I have created a system to keep track of all the bus stops in the network and am currently visiting each stop to catalogue\u00a0what’s\u00a0present at each stop.\u00a0Do you know how many bus stops\u00a0Greenlink\u00a0services?\u00a0448 bus stops! And that\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0even include the downtown trolley. With that many stops,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0difficult to keep track of everything – to know what is at each stop and if\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0anything that may need attention. So, the first half of my summer was spent working with\u00a0all of\u00a0the people who will use this inventory system. I learned what needed to be\u00a0included and\u00a0put that together to create an app that would be simple and intuitive for anyone to use.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What exactly does the app look like?<\/span><\/i>\u00a0It includes forms for basic information about the stop, measurements to know whether a stop is currently ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible or not, and details about each amenity that may be there: a shelter, a bench, timetables, and so on.\u00a0There\u2019s\u00a0also a space to mark if something is broken and needs to be repaired.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What do you use to take inventory?\u00a0<\/span><\/i>I carry around a few different tools to do this. I have a tablet with a shoulder and hand strap that I keep on me to fill out each of the forms, as well as a mobile hotspot I can leave in the car. I have an electronic level, a power drill, and something called a surveyor\u2019s wheel, which allows me to measure how many feet long each bus stop is. Then, I carry around a bunch of fancy stickers! The amenities at stops need either an asset tag or property sticker to let people know what belongs to the bus stop.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What exactly are you doing at each stop?<\/span><\/i>\u00a0Every day before I leave the office, I pull up the route I will be inventorying that day and follow the same path as the buses. When I see a stop, I pull over somewhere out of the way so that I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0block the bus operators\u2019 sightlines. Once\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0parked, I put on a yellow safety vest and turn on my bright hazard lights: safety first!\u00a0I take all of the measurements and many photos: of the whole bus stop, each amenity, and anything that is damaged.\u00a0Taking inventory of a stop takes me anywhere from three to fifteen minutes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Bus stop before<\/p><\/div>\n

Why? Why\u00a0do\u00a0all of this?\u00a0<\/span><\/i>This whole project is to help those who use and rely on public transit. My work in the field allows those at the office to\u00a0determine\u00a0which stops need to be fixed or upgraded. We are trying to take stops that are just a sign in the grass and make them accessible for those using mobility\u00a0devices and\u00a0add space to sit comfortably and safely. Taking inventory of our bus stops\u00a0ultimately creates\u00a0a safer, accessible, and more enjoyable experience with\u00a0Greenlink.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s\u00a0been a lot of fun to see just\u00a0how\u00a0much\u00a0many\u00a0of the stops have been improving lately. Look here,\u00a0a before\u00a0and after of a new bus stop at the Greenville Public Safety Campus! The people at\u00a0Greenlink\u00a0do everything they can to create the best and safest experience for their riders. Interested in\u00a0utilizing\u00a0public transport, and our other upcoming improvements? Check out the Ride\u00a0Greenlink\u00a0website at\u00a0<\/span>https:\/\/www.greenvillesc.gov\/greenlink-transit<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to learn more!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

and after!<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cAre you just riding the bus everywhere?\u201d \u201cWhat are you\u00a0actually doing\u00a0at each stop? \u201cYou\u2019re taking\u00a0how much\u00a0to each stop?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 The chorus of my summer.\u00a0My friends and family assume they understand when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":452,"featured_media":2413,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,16,13],"tags":[15,14],"class_list":["post-2405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-student-blog","category-student-news","tag-furman-innovation-lab","tag-sustainability"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/452"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2405"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2417,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2405\/revisions\/2417"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/shi-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}