App for alerting drivers to waiting passengers

Adelaide / South Australia Transport Discussion
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Lieselta
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App for alerting drivers to waiting passengers

Post by Lieselta »

Interesting ABC article today. Perhaps it would require integration into the BCU?

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-21/ ... /101460956
Merc1107
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Re: App for alerting drivers to waiting passengers

Post by Merc1107 »

Clever idea, but "accepting" the stop request would go against the policy of some operators that prohibit drivers touching the ticketing equipment while in motion (apparently it's a distraction). If that can change, it would be a great idea. Alternatively, the app notifies the depot, and (provided the allocations are done digitally, and correctly) they put a call out to the driver of the bus the passenger is waiting for.
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Lt. Commander Data
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Re: App for alerting drivers to waiting passengers

Post by Lt. Commander Data »

Merc1107 wrote: Thu Sep 22, 2022 3:45 pm Clever idea, but "accepting" the stop request would go against the policy of some operators that prohibit drivers touching the ticketing equipment while in motion (apparently it's a distraction). If that can change, it would be a great idea. Alternatively, the app notifies the depot, and (provided the allocations are done digitally, and correctly) they put a call out to the driver of the bus the passenger is waiting for.
Keoride on-demand buses use a tablet within the bus that drivers interact with throughout the course of their shift - in the same way that modern cars all seem to have built in touchscreen arrangements. There are also plenty of interactions with the BCU while the bus is in motion- perhaps some operators just need to move into the 21st century.

This technology rolled out could also solve the problem of people on their phones not paying attention who miss their buses. Obviously they should just pay attention, but it would certainly bring public transport into the modern age.
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Lieselta
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Re: App for alerting drivers to waiting passengers

Post by Lieselta »

I regularly see drivers use the BCU to do what I assume is logging fare evasion incidents.
Skexis
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Re: App for alerting drivers to waiting passengers

Post by Skexis »

Lieselta wrote: Thu Sep 22, 2022 5:46 pmI regularly see drivers use the BCU to do what I assume is logging fare evasion incidents.
Yeah there are a load of options now to report fare evaders, infrastructure problems, traffic holdups and a few others. Tbh it's just something else to get in the way of a driver keeping their eyes on the road ahead. There was one passenger that used to hold up a clear sign to indicate which bus she wanted to catch and that worked well. Why can't people just do this?
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