Real time coming to all services in 2015

[BestFriendHasLeprosy]

Announced today that real time systems (similar to what has been on the blue CityGlider and LCBS services for a couple of years now) will be introduced to all operators next year. It's a new system, and the aforementioned will be "transitioned" to it, not time announced yet though.

Bay Island Transit(?) - March 2015
BCC ferries - Jan/Feb 2015
Buslink - March 2015
BT - Jan/Feb 2015
BBL - March 2015
BIC - March 2015
BQL - March 2015
CBL - March 2015
HBL - March 2015
KBL - March 2015
LCBS - March 2015
MTG - March 2015
PRT - March 2015
QR - March/April 2015
TBS - March 2015
SBL - March 2015
Sunbus - Dec 2014/Jan 2015
SWT - March 2015
Trams - March 2015
Transdev - March 2015
WBC - March 2015

No word yet on PRT, but presumably same time as the other Bus Queensland ones.

http://translink.com.au/travel-informat ... -time-info

EDIT: Sent them a message on Facebook and they updated it. LCBS and PRT now slated for, you guessed it, March 2015.

[08 XDi]

Will not include any road-side signs or onboard displays by the look of it. I can live with this.

[BestFriendHasLeprosy]

Onboard displays would be nice, but not worth to complain about. Their mobile website does everything.

[742_VST]

Would have been nice if they included onboard next stop displays but hey, it's really good to see real time tracking is coming. Just hope a real time tracking feature is implemented into the Go Brisbane app.

[742_VST]

Also, just currently reading up on the new technology. It says that the existing DCU's will be replaced with the new modern ones. Does that also mean that the existing bus Go card readers will be replaced with ones that will look slightly different, or will it only be the control units that are getting a facelift?

[simonl]

Just hope a real time tracking feature is implemented into the Go Brisbane app.

Does it need to be? So long as it's in the mobile website I think that's good enough.

[racingnathan]

Its about time the "DCU"s got upgraded the current units are way out of date and have constant crashes.

[BT-Otto]

Scott Emerson holding a new DCU . That's all the hardware that's changing onboard the buses afaik.

[jonwil]

Lets hope Translink make a GTFS-realtime feed available so that developers of all sorts can implement this into apps. (and so that you can get reaitime information from whichever Google services make use of GTFS-realtime)

As for the user interface, having a scrolling/scrollable list of all the stops and how far away in time the bus is from that stop (i.e. the same information that currently appears on the screens inside Logan City Bus Service buses) would be very useful to me as a user of the system (more so than a map plotting your position which would tell you where you are but not how long its going to take to get to where you are going)

[ggm]

Amuses me that they'll pay to fix the in-bus display, but can't make the on-platform or at-stop displays of next bus due reflect actual service.

If you're on the bus, you mostly know what to expect. The people who are benefiting from in-bus displays are marginally improved, although you do feel better.

If you're on a stop, the 'which bus is coming next' is a decision with consequence. If I see a 202 on QPAC, not knowing if a 184 is 3 busses behind it on the bridge makes me choose a slower service for some certainty: a decision of more consequence, than actually being on a service wondering when it might get to the next stop.

(don't get me started on the transinfo != BCC side of things: why they print timetables which only list one company in the combine...)

[08 XDi]

Amuses me that they'll pay to fix the in-bus display, but can't make the on-platform or at-stop displays of next bus due reflect actual service.

If you're on the bus, you mostly know what to expect. The people who are benefiting from in-bus displays are marginally improved, although you do feel better.

If you're on a stop, the 'which bus is coming next' is a decision with consequence. If I see a 202 on QPAC, not knowing if a 184 is 3 busses behind it on the bridge makes me choose a slower service for some certainty: a decision of more consequence, than actually being on a service wondering when it might get to the next stop.

(don't get me started on the transinfo != BCC side of things: why they print timetables which only list one company in the combine...)

I don't think you've quite understood what is happening.

These are new driver consoles which will power the real-time data which will feature on the website and will be available through apps.

I have no idea what is planned to happen with the Logan or Cityglider buses currently equipped with them once the new system is operating. However, to my knowledge, there is no plan to roll out new on-board screens anywhere. I also have no information about streetside signs.

[Cab]

Yay this will be good

[howlerbus]

Amuses me that they'll pay to fix the in-bus display, but can't make the on-platform or at-stop displays of next bus due reflect actual service.

If you're on the bus, you mostly know what to expect. The people who are benefiting from in-bus displays are marginally improved, although you do feel better.

If you're on a stop, the 'which bus is coming next' is a decision with consequence. If I see a 202 on QPAC, not knowing if a 184 is 3 busses behind it on the bridge makes me choose a slower service for some certainty: a decision of more consequence, than actually being on a service wondering when it might get to the next stop.

(don't get me started on the transinfo != BCC side of things: why they print timetables which only list one company in the combine...)

I don't think you've quite understood what is happening.

These are new driver consoles which will power the real-time data which will feature on the website and will be available through apps.

I have no idea what is planned to happen with the Logan or Cityglider buses currently equipped with them once the new system is operating. However, to my knowledge, there is no plan to roll out new on-board screens anywhere. I also have no information about streetside signs.

Sounds like what we have here in Adelaide, the real time data comes from the drivers consoles and is available on apps, websites and screens at some bus interchanges

[ggm]

I don't think you've quite understood what is happening.

Unquestionably true. thanks for the cluestick hit.

These are new driver consoles which will power the real-time data which will feature on the website and will be available through apps.

I have no idea what is planned to happen with the Logan or Cityglider buses currently equipped with them once the new system is operating. However, to my knowledge, there is no plan to roll out new on-board screens anywhere. I also have no information about streetside signs.

So no definites about downstream consumption of the data, but better data is available. Websites, apps get access assuming API's are published.

The current interchange/busway timesigns are a joke. If they don't patch them in, I'd be inclined to ask for them to be turned off, because as it stands they publish misleading information. Is it the time a bus is due? is it the time a bus has passed? is it the time a bus may arrive? all of these could be the intention. None of them are always true. And buses come which don't appear on the board.

[08 XDi]

In an ideal world they might be able to reuse the physical infrastructure already at bus stops. Depending on which sign you are looking at, it's either powered by induction loops in the road or nothing more than the timetable (Roma St and KGS I'm looking at you in particular), so it's practically useless.

Cultural Centre and some of the inner-city stops need considerably better real-time displays to deal with the volume. I'd look at replacing the static timetable on the wall with a completely electronic panel, which would be of considerably better use. May even be best to simply have a countdown for the next 2 buses on every single route passing through.

[simonl]

Outbound services are normally on time at Roma St and KGSBS so relying on the timetable isn't that much of a problem.

[ggm]

Rush hours they are completely off for qpac, south Brisbane, and buranda. Way, way off for buranda. I'd say city departures are OK because they're timing stops or their modern equivalent. Its like saying 'if it leaves the terminus on time then it's an on time servbice'. Bah humbug!

[08 XDi]

Outbound services are normally on time at Roma St and KGSBS so relying on the timetable isn't that much of a problem.

Except for when it is (viz flooding and disuptions last weekwhere I spent half an hour waiting for a 66).

[superbossgc]

Real Time is now up at sunshine Coast, information in the link.

http://translink.com.au/travel-informat ... 11/details

[moreton]

Real Time is already set up and going at Sunshine Coast, some BT buses have been converted to new style DCUs it may take a while to fit out a few thousand of them, it just does not happen overnight. MY TRANSLINK APP was up and running just last week so you will get your real time from there when system is ready to go live in Brisbane. When all buses are fitted and the system is fully tested, it will be bought on line. You will need your own smartphone to use the system, there will be no on board information as it will all be on the MY TRANSLINK APP on your own phone. Moreton

[daveeyh]

Real Time is already set up and going at Sunshine Coast, some BT buses have been converted to new style DCUs it may take a while to fit out a few thousand of them, it just does not happen overnight. MY TRANSLINK APP was up and running just last week so you will get your real time from there when system is ready to go live in Brisbane. When all buses are fitted and the system is fully tested, it will be bought on line. You will need your own smartphone to use the system, there will be no on board information as it will all be on the MY TRANSLINK APP on your own phone. Moreton

From my observations, the roll-out of the new DCU's is well advanced. I have seen very few BT buses in the past week that still have the old "silver" unit installed. The new DCU looks to control the destination signs now - at least on the B7s where the destos were set from above the driver.

[racingnathan]

It doesn't take long to install the new DCU unit, roughly overnight (6-10hrs) about 160 odd buses can be done and they are not connected with the desto's, drivers still need to input the destination.

[Bjwh86]

Seems LCBS has come on earlier than what was stated.

Now Sunshine Coast Sunbus and LCBS are live.

[BestFriendHasLeprosy]

LCBS has been running a real time system for a few years now.

[Bjwh86]

LCBS has been running a real time system for a few years now.

Yes which was active for 555 services only.
All other services were not publicly available.