GPS devices to drive efficiency in bus fleet. (Media & Technology).

It seems Saddam Hussein isn't the only one being tracked by global positioning system devices these days.

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation's fleet of 111 Commuter Express buses has been hooked into the GPS world by Connex North America Inc., which estimates that the devices will help improve the fleet's on-time rate to more than 95 percent, from the current 85 percent.

That bodes well for the 180,000 monthly riders whose trips last between 40 and 70 minutes to and from downtown L.A. and surrounding communities or Los Angeles International Airport.

"It's a great information source for the dispatcher," said Kevin Adams, president of company's Connex West subsidiary, the operator of the system for the city. "If you call and say 'Where is my bus?' the dispatcher can look at a screen and say the bus is on X street and should be there in the next two to three minutes."

The Baltimore-based company agreed to absorb the costs of the system -- $60,000 for installation and $4,000 per month to operate -- when it took over on Feb. 1 under a 5-year $65.7 million contract, which includes refurbishing the existing buses.

The navigational program was implemented after the DOT tested the system over a three-week period in April along Commuter Express Route 574, which runs from the San Fernando Valley down the San Diego (405) Freeway to Los Angeles International Airport.