One of the biggest complaints about Metro’s bus system has long been not enough people use it.

The reason for this, and/or the second-biggest complaint, depending on your perspective, has been that the buses were difficult to use because the schedule seemed more like a suggestion than an actual timetable.

In other words, if you had other options, you took them.

That may be about to change, and just in time, as Music City’s traffic jams, snarls and boondoggles seem to be reaching epic proportions (with 80 people a day moving into the area, that’s kind of understandable.)

In December, the Nashville MTA did a soft launch of the Music City Transit Tracker (MCTT). MCTT is beta-testing now and soliciting feedback from riders before a hard launch of the system in late January.

“It is great to see MTA’s focus and dedication to providing a real-time tracking system for Nashville’s bus riders, and we are now ready for the public to test drive this real-time information,” says Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, in a press statement.

“I’m looking forward to trying it out myself and hope it will result in more people having the chance to experience what our public transit system has to offer.”

Known as an automatic vehicle locator system, MCTT allows riders to see when the bus is arriving at their stop and where it is along the route using various apps, including the MCTT app, Transit app and Vanderbilt University’s Transit Hub, or T-Hub app.

The Transit app can be downloaded from Google Play and the Apple Store; MCTT is available on Google Play and pending on Apple; and T-Hub is pending on both platforms.

The real-time information will also be posted on digital signs at the Music City Central transit station and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stations as well as on MTA’s website. MTA is also sharing data with Google Maps.

“Not only do we believe this new technology will be an exciting new addition for our current riders,” explains Steve Bland, Nashville MTA CEO. “But, we hope it will open the door to prospective riders utilizing our system.’’

It’s the right tech at the right time, and if done right will become a system that benefits riders and non-riders alike.