Isle of Wight ferry operator Red Funnel is using wireless sensors, data analytics software and RSS feeds via Twitter to stream predicted arrival and departure times onto passengers’ mobile phones and computers.

The system uses on-board wireless sensors and GPS devices, accessed by IBM’s WebSphere messaging system and Lotus Expeditor micro-broker software.

The tool transmits radio-based data feeds containing information about the ferries’ current GPS location to Twitter, which pushes that data out to customers who have signed up to receive the updates via an RSS feed.

The system is designed to help passengers cope with unforeseen delays due to weather conditions, technical problems or medical emergencies, said Red Funnel, which carries around 112,000 commercial vehicles, 600,000 cards and 5,000 coaches per year.