Real-Time System pilot

[nathandavid88]

^ It can't be that annoying, really.  I've ridden Smartbuses end to end in Melbourne with the systems active and without any real issues.

I went for a trip to Griffith Uni and back by 555 at lunch today.  Trip down was in a VST (rigid bus), and trip back was in an artic.

The announcements are virtually inaudible over the motor (most of the Clarke's fleet is kitted out with massive 12L engines), and the stop names are quieter than the "Next stop" screed preceding them.  I don't see why each stop can't be announced.  Unlike BCC, bus stops in outer metropolitan areas tend to be more sensibly placed.  Maybe the upcoming review will force BCC to look at stop spacing (finally).

It might have been that particular bus (or the fact that it was barrelling along the busway at 80kph rather than pottering around the back streets at 50kph) but the announcements I hear on the 550/560 definitely aren't virtually inaudible. They're so loud that you couldn't take a call on a bus without the person on the other end clearly hearing it. As for stop spacing, on the 550, 560 and 572 routes (my most used backstreet routes), there are many stretches where the stops are only about 1 minute's drive apart, which is where the irritation about the announcements comes from because you're hearing it every minute for a stretch of 4-8 stops before there might be a bit of a break (from turning onto a main road usually, which generally have better spacing). I honestly think it's overkill and unnecessary, and I've started to hear drivers outright complaining about it too!

[STB]

Took a trip out to Logan today to check the new system out.

First bus - 555 - Logan Hyperdome to Springwood - display working but I think the driver had it shut off ie: no announcements or a visible list of the next stop information.

Second bus - 550 - Springwood to Logan Central - display not working but announcements were.

Third bus - 550 - Logan Central to Springwood - display working but no announcements

Fourth bus - 554 - Springwood to Garden City - both display and announcements working perfectly

Got 4th time lucky!  I'm impressed by it too!

[ozbob]

 

[colinw]

Went into town to see Jersey Boys last night, and ended up on a 555 on the way home.  The display was working at the Cultural Centre station, but after updating when we left there it ended up hung up on South Bank and stayed that way for the rest of the trip. Announcements were working, but turned down so much that they were barely audible.

Oh, and last night somebody told me he had heard on the radio that Campbell Newman was going to cut the TransLink Web Site! Huh? Can't see that happening.

[colinw]

Saw some buggy behaviour on the route 554 this morning.

At Kuraby the system was working normally.  About half way along Stiller Dr (around Woodglen St stop) the system lost the plot and blanked out the bottom two pending stops, and also the bottom line that shows the terminus.

After the next stop it updated and got some of the pending stops back, but the line that should have been  "Settler St" stop in Levington Rd remained blank.  The line schematic (vertical line with dots for stops) also went AWOL at this point.

After Underwood Rd stop, the blank line for Settler St reached the top, at which point the entire display changed to barely visible dark gray on black.

After leaving Settler St the display again refreshed and appeared normal, except the "T" icon (for Terminus) was displayed against Eight Mile Plains station rather than Garden City Interchange as it should have been.

After leaving RACQ stop in Levington Rd the system sorted itself out and was correct for the rest of the trip.

Announcements were turned off the whole time.

[ClintonL94]

There were some problems this morning with the real-time server at the bus depot. They have been working on it for a few days fixing those issues..

[colinw]

Route 554 Kuraby to Eight Mile Plains this morning, the system behaviour was identical to what I described in yesterday's post. Evidently a reproducible / consistent problem.

The bus home last night had problems too.  Working fine at EMP, lost the plot by Kuraby Primary School stop.

[nathandavid88]

That's very weird... I haven't experienced any of your issues on the 550, 560 or 555. For me, if the system isn't working/stops working part way through, it just reverts to the white screen with the Translink logo. Something else I've noticed regarding the announcements is that the volume has been different - the loud announcements I complained about last week on the 560 were a lot softer on the 555s I grabbed over the weekend, as well as on every bus I've taken so far this week.

[colinw]

It all appears to start with it getting a blank stop name at the bottom of the next stops list.  On the 554 toward Garden City the "Settler St" stop seems to be the bugbear. Outbound (toward Kuraby & Logan Central Plaza) it has had problems with Strathmore St stop 92.

As soon as that blank stop name appears at the bottom of the list, two things happen:

1.  The non-blank stop above gets the "T" symbol indicating it is the terminus.
2.  The actual terminus name & travel time vanishes from the bottom row of the screen.

When the blank stop reaches the top, the whole display goes to gray on black.

After the blank stop scrolls off the top, the system then appears to sort itself out, but still sometimes displays the "T" against the wrong stop (e.g. it again displayed "T" against Eight Mile Plains despite being a Garden City bus).

If I see it again I'll try to take some pics with my phone.

[SurfRail]

I'd suggest people pass any issues on directly to TransLink so they can actually work on it.

[colinw]

Already done. 

[colinw]

TransLink online feedback form for the Trip Tracker -> click here

[colinw]

The problems with the real time info on the 554 appear to have been fixed. No glitches were observed this morning, and Settler St stop was displayed and announced properly. 

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

Satellite tracking keep commuters informed

Satellite tracking keep commuters informed
November 21, 2012 - 3:00AM Tony Moore

Real-time bus trip information on Brisbane's busiest bus service, the CityGlider, will start this morning after a successful trial in Logan.

Trip Tracker is a satellite-based tracking system that lets bus commuters know how far their bus is from their bus stop, their home or their office.

It has been trialled on 125 daily buses in the Logan area since August to iron out the faults and improve the accuracy.

From this morning, Trip Tracker shifts into Brisbane and will begin on the CityGlider service, which carried more than two million passengers in the 2011-12 year.

The CityGlider trial will run until mid-2103 and the Trip Tracker will be progressively rolled out to other Brisbane bus routes, if funding can be found.

A spokesman for Transport Minister Scott Emerson said the system was now working accurately, but Queensland Transport wanted to trial on routes with more passengers.

"Since the first week or two it is now operating pretty successfully, but we want to continue the trials on more popular runs," the spokesman said.

Commuters could read the Trip Tracker information on home or office commuters, smartphones and at some bus stops.

Trip Tracker also provides the information on the computerised displays in buses.

Mr Emerson said he was happy with the trial that has been run on Clark's buses in Logan.

"The pilot real-time project is proving successful on Clarks Logan City buses," Mr Emerson said.

"And it is great to now broaden the benefits of Trip Tracker to include CityGlider – one of the busiest bus routes in Queensland."

The CityGlider bus service is funded by the state government and Brisbane City Council.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk asked commuters to let the state government or the council know how effective they found the Trip Tracker.

Further information can be found at the "Stops and stations" feature on the TransLink website.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/satellite-tracking-keep-commuters-informed-20121120-29o7r.html

[ozbob]

http://www.scottemerson.com.au/media-releases/real-time-tracks-cityglider.html

Statement

Real time tracks CityGlider

Wednesday, 21 November 2012 05:25

Trip Tracker is making its way onto Brisbane's CityGlider buses following the launch of the real-time technology on Logan buses earlier this year.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson and Lord Mayor Graham Quirk welcomed the additional customer information for CityGlider services.

"Trip Tracker is a real-time information system that uses satellites to track buses and provide accurate service information for customers through smart phones, computers and at selected bus stops," Mr Emerson said. 

"The pilot real-time project is proving successful on Clarks Logan City buses and it is great to now broaden the benefits of Trip Tracker to include CityGlider – one of the busiest bus routes in Queensland.

"On the CityGlider commuters can now access accurate information about their next bus and how far away it is from their stop.

"Real-time journey information is also available on board buses, with display screens providing route information and automated announcements about upcoming stops."

CityGlider is a jointly funded by the State Government and Brisbane City Council operating every five to 15 minutes between Teneriffe and West End.

"I'm committed to delivering a more comfortable and reliable experience for passengers and I believe technology like Trip Tracker will build on our efforts to air-condition 100 per cent of our bus fleet and make it wheel-chair compliant," Cr Quirk said.

"With more than two million passengers carried every year, CityGlider has been a hit with passengers and is therefore the perfect inner-city route to continue to trial real-time technology.

"Trip Tracker will provide passengers with more relevant and precise information for specific journeys and I encourage users to tell us how useful they've found it."

The Trip Tracker will run on CityGlider buses from Wednesday 21 November until mid-2013.

A wider roll-out of Trip Tracker is subject to the success of the trial, customer acceptance and funding availability.

For real-time information on CityGlider and Logan City buses use the 'Stops and stations' feature on the TransLink website, www.translink.com.au or phone 13 12 30, anytime.

[#Metro]

It's a bit pointless on a high frequency no-timetable route. More valuable on the low frequency ones where if it is late and you don't know if your wait is going to be half an hour or more...

On the flipside, maybe using this we can get non-fantasy bus on time figures for once!

[ozbob]

Potentially there is a large user base on the Glider to trial the real time system under heavier loads.  But as you suggest TT most won't bother as the buses are frequent.  Real time tracker far more valuable middle to outer suburbia where bus frequency is poor.

[ozbob]

612 ABC Brisbane Breakfast with Spencer Howson

--> Brisbane gets real-time bus information from today

You can already look at your smart phone at the bus stop and see what time the bus is supposed to arrive, but as of this morning, passengers on the City Glider, Brisbane's busiest bus service, will be able to track their bus in real time.

It's called Trip Tracker. Scott Emerson is the Transport Minister:

[nathandavid88]

They actually had it running on the City Glider I caught yesterday, and I have to say that it was a benefit to me personally because it showed exactly where the Glider stops are (I'm not a frequent user of the Glider – I know the route fine, but not all the exact stop locations, particularly on the West End side). It might have the benefit of making it more accessible to people who may not be as comfortable using public transport (there are still a few out there who either avoid PT or don't explore due to being unfamiliar with the routes). Being able to see the stops coming up in front of them and how far they are away could make using it a more comfortable for those kinds of people. That would be the real benefit of it on high frequency routes rather than seeing how far away the next service is.

For me,  it also meant I could time when I had to squeeze through the sardine can that was the peak hour Glider to get to the doors. 

[Jonno]

Time to make this information available to app developers.  Translink Website is very clunky to find the info.!!

[Golliwog]

Time to make this information available to app developers.  Translink Website is very clunky to find the info.!!

Was it here or somewhere else I heard it, but Translink are apparently looking at QR codes or something to put at bus stops to take your smart phone direct to the Trip Tracker page for that stop?

[nathandavid88]

That would be a great idea! The most time consuming part of using Trip Tracker can be punching in your bus stop. While I have my regular ones saved to my links, if I'm going somewhere different it's of little help!

[longboi]

Time to make this information available to app developers.  Translink Website is very clunky to find the info.!!

Was it here or somewhere else I heard it, but Translink are apparently looking at QR codes or something to put at bus stops to take your smart phone direct to the Trip Tracker page for that stop?

Check out stop 82 in Elizabeth St (LCBS services).

Can't remember if it links to the stop page or the project page - I think it's the stop page - but either way the use of QR codes are also being trialed.

[Golliwog]

 

Time to make this information available to app developers.  Translink Website is very clunky to find the info.!!

Was it here or somewhere else I heard it, but Translink are apparently looking at QR codes or something to put at bus stops to take your smart phone direct to the Trip Tracker page for that stop?

Check out stop 82 in Elizabeth St (LCBS services).

Can't remember if it links to the stop page or the project page - I think it's the stop page - but either way the use of QR codes are also being trialed.

[ozbob]

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XSZY88Q

Trip Tracker Pilot - including CityGlider

Let us know what you think about Trip Tracker!

Trip Tracker is the name given to the real-time information system now being trialled on Clarks Logan City buses and Brisbane Transport's CityGlider services. Your feedback will help us to improve the system now and into the future.

This survey is being conducted using SurveyMonkey, which is based in the United States of America. Information you provide on this survey will be transferred to SurveyMonkey's server in the United States of America. By completing this survey, you agree to this transfer.

TransLink is committed to protecting your personal information. Our objective is to protect the privacy, accuracy and security of your personal information in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009.

The personal information collected in this survey will only be used for service planning activities of TransLink.

For a copy of our Privacy Statement visit translink.com.au or phone 13 12 30.