Public transport information going in circles again

Three weeks ago, LTA announced two initiatives to “enhance public transport experience”.

The first is providing real-time bus arrival times on a trial basis using LED panels installed at selected bus stops. The second is providing an integrated electronic bus journey planner to allow public to plan their travel routes using the bus services offered by SBS Transit and SMRT Buses.

The full news release is attached below (also available here).

LTA To Introduce Initiatives To Enhance Public Transport Experience

1 The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is working with the public transport operators to make available real-time bus arrival information at 30 popular bus-stops and to develop an electronic bus journey planner. These initiatives will help commuters make more informed travel decisions and are in line with LTA's efforts to provide a commuter-centric public transport system. LTA has set aside a budget of S$5 million for the initiatives so the costs will not be passed on to commuters.

2 Details of the two initiatives are as follows:

A) REAL-TIME BUS ARRIVAL INFORMATION

3 LTA will work with SBS Transit and SMRT Buses on a trial to provide real-time bus arrival times using LED panels installed at selected bus stops. This will help commuters better manage waiting time and transfers, as well as make more informed travel decisions.

4 The panels will be installed at 30 bus stops, 20 within the Orchard Road area and the remaining 10 to be equally divided between two HDB towns. The locations will be selected based on the volume of commuter traffic, so as to benefit a larger number of public transport commuters. The panels will be rolled out in phases from July 2007.

5 Subsequently, LTA will explore extending the initiative to other bus stops around the city area and at regional centres based on public feedback on the trial.

B) ELECTRONIC BUS JOURNEY PLANNER

6 LTA has provided funding support for TransitLink to develop an electronic bus journey planner using bus services provided by the two public transport operators. TransitLink's hotline operators will be able to tap on this electronic bus journey planner to respond to public enquiries on travel routes more quickly.

7 The electronic bus journey planner will also be made available on the TransitLink website on a trial basis by July 2007 for commuters to use, and will be refined, taking into account commuters' feedback.

COMMUTERS' FEEDBACK WELCOMED

8 Towards the end of the trials, surveys will be conducted to gather feedback on the effectiveness of the initiatives in improving public transport services as well as suggestions for improvement. Commuters may also give us their comments via LTA's hotline 1800-CALL LTA (1800-2255 582) or participate in Talk2LTA, our discussion forum, on the LTA website.

Source: LTA (9 March 2007)

This is LTA’s third such attempt to provide public transport information.

In 1995, the newly formed LTA embarked on a pilot project (known as Auto Network Time Travel System) to display bus arrival times at two selected bus stops along Orchard area. Buses were tagged electronically and were detected by sensors placed at traffic light junctions. Once a sensor detects a tagged vehicle, information on the bus location and travel time will be transmitted to the main control centre, which will then process the information and display the estimated arrival time at bus stops. After the trial ended, LTA was not keen to expand the scheme further.

Again in 2000, LTA launched an ambitious project (known as transit.smart) to provide a web-based public transport information system that gives real time bus and train arrival information. The $40 million project – originally scheduled to launch in April 2003 – was later canned in February 2003, (official) reasons being technical difficulties, rising cost etc.

Twelve years later, LTA still has not given up (a round of applause for their undying effort). Now that technology has improved and both operators already have GPS fleet management system in place, implementing real-time bus arrival information at bus stops should not be a problem. The real concern lies with some passengers who cannot stop screaming at how costly the LED panels are (fyi, if all bus stops are to be fitted, the island will sprout 4,400 such panels overnight). Perhaps to ease their concern, LTA can consider set up an advertising subsidiary to sell airtime on the LED panels to defray costs. It could also allow them to compete with Clear Channel – their contractor who design, build and maintain majority of the bus shelters, while enjoying concession to milk advertising opportunities from them.

On the other hand, the LONG overdue electronic bus journey planner that encompasses all bus routes is definitely welcome. LTA should have provided funding support to TransitLink much earlier to solve the very problem that they created. Just a thought for ponder: did anyone question LTA why they are providing a bus-only journey planner in a multi-modal transport environment? Let's wait and see how the journey planner will turn out when it unveils in July this year.

Auto Network Time Travel System (1995)

transit.smart (2000 - 2003)