Development of Real Time Bus Tracking and Monitoring System Using GPS Visualization for UTHM Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56532/mjsat.v6iS2.825Keywords:
Real-Time Bus Tracking, GPS Visualization, ESP32, RFID, Passenger MonitoringAbstract
The rapid growth of university populations has increased the demand for efficient and reliable campus transportation services. Conventional campus bus systems generally operate using fixed schedules without providing passengers with real-time information regarding bus location, estimated arrival time, or passenger occupancy. This limitation often results in extended waiting times, ineffective travel planning, and inefficient transportation management. This study presents the development of a real-time bus tracking and passenger monitoring system using Global Positioning System (GPS) visualization for Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) students. The proposed system integrates an ESP32 microcontroller, NEO-6M GPS module, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), and E18-D80NK infrared (IR) sensor to provide continuous monitoring of bus movement and passenger occupancy. GPS coordinates and passenger information are transmitted through Wi-Fi to Firebase Realtime Database, allowing real-time synchronization with both a Flutter-based mobile application and a web-based monitoring dashboard. Google Maps API is employed to visualize bus movement, predefined routes, checkpoints, and estimated time of arrival (ETA). A hybrid passenger monitoring mechanism combining RFID identification and IR-based automatic movement detection improves passenger counting accuracy while minimizing dependency on manual RFID scanning. System evaluation demonstrates reliable GPS tracking, responsive cloud synchronization, accurate passenger counting, and stable communication between hardware and software components. The developed platform enhances transportation accessibility, operational efficiency, and user convenience while providing a scalable and cost-effective solution for smart campus transportation. Furthermore, the proposed architecture establishes a foundation for future intelligent transportation systems incorporating predictive analytics, multi-vehicle management, and advanced passenger information services.
References
P. Bahl and V. N. Padmanabhan, “RADAR: An in-building RF-based user location and tracking system,” Proceedings IEEE INFOCOM, pp. 775–784, 2000. doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/INFCOM.2000.832252
A. Gowrishetty, “GPS Tracker Using ESP32 and SIM7600,” GitHub Repository, 2023.
A. Rahimi, M. A. Ahmad, and Z. Ibrahim, “Development of a bus tracking and monitoring device using Arduino Node microcontroller,” ASEAN Engineering Journal, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 33–40, 2021. doi: https://doi.org/10.11113/aej.v12.17396
K. Zamri, N. A. M. Nor, and S. S. A. Rahman, “Smart bus system and bus tracking for UTHM Pagoh residential students,” Manufacturing, Automation & Research Innovation (MARI), Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 2022.
M. E. E. Alahi, S. C. Mukhopadhyay, and L. Burkitt, “Smart sensing for intelligent transportation systems,” IEEE Sensors Journal, vol. 17, no. 6, pp. 1724–1735, 2017.
Y. Chen, Y. Lv, and F. Y. Wang, “Traffic flow prediction with big data: A deep learning approach,” IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 1025–1036, 2016.
J. Lee, B. Bagheri, and H. A. Kao, “A cyber-physical systems architecture for Industry 4.0-based manufacturing systems,” Manufacturing Letters, vol. 3, pp. 18–23, 2015. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mfglet.2014.12.001
D. Kumar and V. Dalip, “GPS and GSM based passenger tracking system,” International Journal of Computer Applications, vol. 100, no. 2, pp. 21–25, 2014. doi: https://doi.org/10.5120/17499-8039
N. C. Batista, R. Melício, and V. M. F. Mendes, “Smart cities and intelligent transportation systems,” Energy Reports, vol. 5, pp. 123–134, 2019.
Espressif Systems, ESP32 Technical Reference Manual, Espressif Systems, Shanghai, China, 2023.
M. Fogue, P. Garrido, F. J. Martinez, J. C. Cano, C. T. Calafate, and P. Manzoni, “A system for automatic notification and severity estimation of traffic incidents,” IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 903–913, 2013.
Moovit, Public Transit Data Visualization Platform Documentation, 2023.
T. Bräunl, Embedded Robotics: Mobile Robot Design and Applications, 3rd ed. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2016.
S. Huang and D. Levinson, “Accessibility analysis for campus transportation,” Transport Policy, vol. 20, pp. 61–69, 2012.
IEEE Standards Association, IEEE Standard for Intelligent Transportation Systems, IEEE Std., 2021.
M. Al-Omari and Y. Al-Hassan, “Real-time bus tracking system using GPS and mobile application,” Journal of Transportation Technologies, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 213–224, 2020.
T. Litman, Evaluating Transportation Equity, Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Victoria, Canada, 2019.
Cisco Systems, Smart City Architecture Framework, Cisco White Paper, 2020.
A. Jain and D. Gupta, “GPS-based bus tracking system,” International Journal of Computer Applications, vol. 182, no. 23, pp. 15–20, 2019.
C. Chen, Q. Jia, and P. Varaiya, “Causes and cures of bus bunching,” Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 318–338, 2011.
M. Kamal, R. Gupta, and S. Arora, “Implementation of a real-time passenger information system,” arXiv preprint, arXiv:1206.0447, 2012. doi: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1206.0447
F. Amato, V. Moscato, A. Picariello, and G. Sperlí, “Internet of Things for smart cities,” Future Generation Computer Systems, vol. 91, pp. 12–21, 2019.
M. Behrisch, L. Bieker, J. Erdmann, and D. Krajzewicz, “SUMO–Simulation of Urban Mobility: An overview,” SIMUL 2011, pp. 63–68, 2011.
J. Gubbi, R. Buyya, S. Marusic, and M. Palaniswami, “Internet of Things (IoT): A vision, architectural elements, and future directions,” Future Generation Computer Systems, vol. 29, no. 7, pp. 1645–1660, 2013. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2013.01.010
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Amir Amili Raziq Bin Azmil, Masnani Binti Mohamed
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
