From passenger information to better bus networks

Out on the town and need to find your way home via the nearest rail station or bus stop? Accessing travel information via electronic media is rapidly becoming the norm, especially since the advent of 3G and Smartphone technology. At the heart of this functionality sit standardised timetable databases, which were originally produced to provide passenger information and enable journey planning tools. However, with added technologies such as GPS and real-time information, they are now also being used by bus operators and local authorities to provide sophisticated network management and monitoring tools to deliver more efficient and reliable bus networks.

The evolution of timetable databases

In the UK, local authorities supply standardised timetable data to Traveline, which then provides passenger information via regionally-focused call centres, the web and mobile phones. The data also feeds the Transport Direct national journey planning website, real-time passenger information systems and the timetables found at bus stops.

It took a while for Traveline and the Transport Direct journey planning service to develop into what it is today, and there are some useful lessons that can be learnt from their evolution. The main one is a standardised approach to data formatting. This ensures that data accuracy is maintained across all providers and users. So there is no need for Traveline to manually intervene or change the data for their own use, or anyone else they provide the data to. This means that the Transport Direct portal gets the accurate data it needs to provide a national journey planning service and real-time information systems are able to provide accurate and consistent information to the end user (such as the live information we see at bus stops).

And more recently, that same data is now being used by bus operations managers which enable them to interrogate vehicle schedule adherence and adapt timetables to reflect ‘real world’ traffic conditions. In addition, network managers can use these systems to locate congestion hotspots and the potential need for bus priority interventions – all of which help improve the network and deliver a better service.

The way forward

Using our experience of working with the Traveline model we were able to assist French bus operator Transdev in developing a standardised approach to data management on the island of Malta.

We worked with Transdev on their bid to deliver a new public transport network for Malta. Central to the bid was a modular GPS-based ‘Automatic Vehicle Loacation’ (AVL) system which would help Transdev deliver a reliable, quality driven network and keep a close eye on how their fleet is managed in real time. At the heart of the proposed system is a robust standardised timetable database which will provide the baseline for schedule adherence and timetable performance. The system will also give the Maltese Transit Authority (MTA) an overview (via a web browser) of real-time operations, allowing them to ensure that the operator is achieving agreed schedule adherence targets. It is hoped that the AVL system will provide a positive feedback loop for improvements to timetables and thus the services provided to the public. Once the AVL system is up and running, it will also provide a backbone for the delivery of passenger information via electronic signs, the internet and mobile phone.

The early standardisation of timetable data structures has certainly allowed Traveline to offer greater functionality – and will hopefully offer the same opportunities to improve transport networks and the passenger experience for Malta and others.