IoT Based Office Bus Tracking and ETA Notification System

Abstract

The increasing reliance on office transportation and the absence of real-time monitoring capabilities in conventional bus systems have led to significant operational inefficiencies. Employees face prolonged waiting times, uncertainty regarding bus arrival, and poor communication from transport management. This paper presents the design and implementation of an IoT-Based Office Bus Tracking and ETA Notification System that enables continuous GPS-based location monitoring and automated Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) notifications. The proposed system employs an ESP32 microcontroller interfaced with a NEO-6M GPS module to acquire real-time latitude, longitude, and speed data at five-second intervals. The acquired data is transmitted wirelessly via Wi-Fi to a Firebase Realtime Database, from where it is rendered on a web-based dashboard integrated with Google Maps API. Users receive dynamic ETA updates and proximity-triggered notifications, significantly reducing waiting time and uncertainty. Experimental validation under diverse driving environments demonstrated GPS fix acquisition within 15 to 31 seconds and cloud transmission latency consistently below 5 seconds under stable network conditions, confirming the system’s suitability for corporate, educational, and public transportation applications.

Introduction

This study presents a low-cost IoT-based real-time office bus tracking system designed to improve employee commuting by providing live bus location, estimated arrival time (ETA), and arrival notifications. Traditional office transportation systems lack real-time monitoring, causing uncertainty, delays, and employee inconvenience.

The proposed solution uses an ESP32 microcontroller, NEO-6M GPS module, Firebase Realtime Database, and a Google Maps-based web dashboard. The GPS module continuously collects location and speed data, which is processed by the ESP32 and transmitted to Firebase through Wi-Fi. A web application displays the bus’s real-time position, computes ETA, and sends proximity-based alerts to users.

The system follows a four-layer architecture consisting of data acquisition, communication, processing, and application layers. The methodology includes GPS data collection, cloud integration, ETA calculation using the Haversine formula, and real-time visualization through a responsive dashboard.

Field testing across various environments—including highways, city traffic, suburban roads, and weak-network areas—demonstrated reliable performance. GPS fix times ranged from 15–31 seconds, cloud latency remained below 5 seconds in most cases, and ETA accuracy varied between ±1.2 and ±3.5 minutes. Notifications were successfully delivered except under poor network conditions.

The entire hardware setup costs approximately ?1,000, making it affordable and scalable for organizational deployment. Future enhancements include AI-based ETA prediction, route optimization, mobile applications, smart-city integration, 5G/NB-IoT connectivity, and driver safety features. Overall, the system provides an efficient, cost-effective, and user-friendly solution for real-time office bus tracking and transportation management.

Conclusion

This paper has presented a fully functional, low-cost IoT-Based Office Bus Tracking and ETA Notification System built around the ESP32 microcontroller and NEO-6M GPS module. The system continuously acquires vehicle location, transmits it to Firebase Realtime Database via Wi-Fi, and renders live tracking information on a Google Maps–powered web dashboard. ETA is computed in real time using the Haversine formula and speed telemetry, while proximity-triggered notifications alert users before bus arrival. Experimental validation confirmed cloud transmission latency below 5 seconds and ETA accuracy within ±3.5 minutes across diverse driving conditions. The total hardware cost of approximately ?1,000 underscores its viability for small-to-medium organizational deployments. The system’s modular architecture and the ESP32’s OTA firmware update capability provides a robust foundation for future enhancements including AI-driven arrival prediction and smart city integration.

References

[1] M. Kassim, A. S. Salleh, S. Shahbudin, and M. Yusoff, \"IoT Bus Tracking System Localization via GPS-RFID,\" International Journal of Engineering Research and Technology, 2022. [2] O. Elijah, S. L. Keoh, S. K. Rahim, C. K. Seow, and Q. Cao, \"Transforming Urban Mobility with IoT: Public Bus Fleet Tracking Using Bluetooth Beacons,\" Frontiers in Internet of Things, 2023. [3] S. Gunady and S. L. Keoh, \"A Non-GPS Based Location Tracking of Public Buses Using Bluetooth Proximity Beacons,\" IEEE Conference on Internet of Things, 2019. [4] M. Muthuselvi, M. A. Abi, V. A. Arthi, and M. S. Deivanayagi, \"An Intelligent Bus System Based on Internet of Things for Urban Environments,\" International Journal of Computer Sciences and Engineering, 2019. [5] C. A. Sanchez Diaz, A. S. Diaz Lucio, and R. Salazar-Cabrera, \"Prototype of a System for Tracking Transit Service Based on IoV, ITS, and Machine Learning,\" World Electric Vehicle Journal, 2023. [6] S. Lee, G. Tewolde, and J. Kwon, \"Design and Implementation of Vehicle Tracking System Using GPS/GSM/GPRS Technology,\" IEEE World Forum on Internet of Things, 2014. [7] B. Nagaraju, T. Akhila, S. Valasa, and A. Choubey, \"Bus Tracking System Using RF Communication for Passenger Information over IoT,\" International Journal for Research in Applied Science and Engineering Technology, 2022. [8] V. Baby Shalini, \"GPS and IoT Based Vehicle Tracking System,\" International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management, 2022. [9] S. Katte, J. Patel, A. Ankleshwaria, and S. Deshmukh, \"Bus Tracking and Ticketing System Using GPS and GSM Technology,\" International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications, 2012. [10] P. Venkatapathi, M. Vaishnavi, K. R. Kumar, and V. N. Kumar, \"Developing a Scalable Public Bus Tracking System with IoT

Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Harshal Pote, Kartik Agrawal, Kaustubh Chhatre, Atharva Patki, Dr. S. S. Mhaske. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.