Milton Keynes to track bus arrivals

Real-time system aims to boost use of public transport

Buses in Milton Keynes are to be fitted with a real-time information system to encourage people to use public transport.

The system, called Automatic Vehicle Location/Real Time Passenger Information (AVL/RTPI) will track buses in the Milton Keynes area and advise passengers of arrival times.

Real-time information displays are a key part of efforts to increase the use of bus services in the city, according to John Hitchings, Milton Keynes public transport improvement project manager for English Partnerships, the organisation running the scheme.

‘Part of the government’s South-East agenda is to grow Milton Keynes by about 70,000 new homes. The associated increase in car traffic is unsustainable, even for the city’s sophisticated network,’ he said.

‘The only way we can deal with the extra people is to get them to use buses, which are a very under-used service in the area.’

A private contractor is being sought to help build and maintain the system.
Hitchings says he wants to avoid the mistakes made by other local authorities, which have used private companies to deploy similar systems.

‘Most of the local authorities taking on these systems have gone more for an end-product specification, such as a real-time system with signs. Then they have left it to the suppliers to come back with an offer. This can be quite different, with a wide variety of radio types, sign types and locations, and so on,’ he said.

‘We have tried to pin down the specification. We know where we want signs to go. We know we don’t want odd signs on the street away from bus shelters. We know we do want text messaging and internet accessibility, because we are trying to reach the population of Milton Keynes.’

Hitchings says he expects the contract to be awarded in April 2006, and is hoping the system will be operational in late 2007. After that the system will be handed over to the council to run and expand.

‘Once the system is up and running we expect to be able to provide information via the web and by mobile phone text messaging services, with other routes and other bus operators, such as the Milton Keynes city bus service, being brought in over time,’ said Hitchings.