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Post by snoggle on Jun 22, 2014 19:50:47 GMT
Ian Visits' blog has an entry about some new technology soon to on trial on route 12 which shows how many spare seats are on the upper deck and where they are on that deck. There will also be a "live travel map" showing where the bus is as it moves along. Interesting stuff. I wonder if it was on WHV1 which was displayed at Regent St today? - I didn't look inside as I assumed it was just a plain old Volvo B5L. |
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Post by ilovelondonbuses on Jun 22, 2014 20:04:12 GMT
Alluelia! This is brilliant news, I hope the schemes are implemented across all London buses. Now all we need is free Wifi on the buses, then it will be justifiable on how it costs to use London buses.
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Post by Green Kitten on Jun 22, 2014 20:27:20 GMT
Liking the seat function - fantastic idea. Would the seat be read as taken if I put my shopping on the seat next to me?  (Hey... I only do this when there's plenty of other seats available, don't chastise me! ) The interactive screen is quite nice, but is it really needed on every route? I could understand on routes such as the 12... but would it be of any use on a route such as... say, the 146 to Downe?! It would be great on busy trunk routes, but it may be hard to place on some single-deckers (and may not be clear to read from far back!) I see these screens are only at one location (behind the staircase), so it wouldn't be greatly helpful to those on the top deck... Would WiFi on buses be that worthwile?  |
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Post by VPL630 on Jun 22, 2014 21:32:58 GMT
Ian Visits' blog has an entry about some new technology soon to on trial on route which shows how many spare seats are on the upper deck and where they are on that deck. There will also be a "live travel map" showing where the bus is as it moves along. Interesting stuff. I wonder if it was on WHV1 which was displayed at Regent St today? - I didn't look inside as I assumed it was just a plain old Volvo B5L. Copy Lothian much (Not the seat thing the GPS)... Nice to see it finally in London |
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Post by DT 11 on Jun 22, 2014 21:40:34 GMT
This will annoy a lot of passengers on the 25. There is never any seats!!!  |
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Post by romfordbuses on Jun 22, 2014 21:49:44 GMT
then it will be justifiable on how it costs to use London buses. You mean it's not already???  |
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Post by Connor on Jun 23, 2014 0:08:38 GMT
I do really like the available seats idea. Using the data from CCTV should eliminate false bag on seat readings. I'm sightly less impressed with the second idea. The bus tracking would come in very handy in the shape of an app or on TFL's website. But I really don't see the need the need for it to be displayed on buses. Even more gimmicky is showing the time to upcoming bus stops!  Couldn't TFL instead put this much effort into their existing technologies? iBus - making buses show up even if they are on a diversion route...just one of many ideas, making a proper 'cashless' announcement and message on the iBus screen, revamping their awful laggy website...etc etc. Nevertheless, interesting developments. If this trial is implemented throughout the bus network, I imagine there will be some rejigging in terms of the positions/addition of CCTV screens. Ideally, each bus will have only one screen, either just behind the drivers cab (the 06 reg WVLs are the only buses I can think of that currently have this configuration) or at the bottom of the staircase like most E400s have.  |
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Post by ilovelondonbuses on Jun 23, 2014 1:02:13 GMT
then it will be justifiable on how it costs to use London buses. You mean it's not already??? Well the weekly Oyster bus pass costing me and other passengers an excess of nearly £21 and it is due as on trend to increase year on year. I think us passengers need to be getting value for money. Other buses outside London have Wifi Access so why can't London buses? |
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Post by vjaska on Jun 23, 2014 1:28:31 GMT
You mean it's not already??? Well the weekly Oyster bus pass costing me and other passengers an excess of nearly £21 and it is due as on trend to increase year on year. I think us passengers need to be getting value for money. Other buses outside London have Wifi Access so why can't London buses? Only certain routes under certain operators have Wifi fitted on their vehicles - it's generally consigned to express & long distance services as well as 'The Green Bus Company' school buses. So using that criteria, only the 607, X26 & X68 would be ideal. As much as I'd like to see it fitted to London Buses, I can also see why it might not be ideal. |
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Post by ServerKing on Jun 23, 2014 7:02:55 GMT
It would be good to hear "12 seats on the upper deck" instead of "more"... though if it's the current seat occupancy tech available in most cars, this can be set off by shopping, and can easily fail (early BMW 3 series had this issue with the front passenger seat, which would disable the airbags  ) They could also fit Lothian-style blinds, LED's, which would be more descriptive than the current offering... |
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Post by mondraker275 on Jun 23, 2014 8:41:11 GMT
To get the most out of the first idea, TfL should use this data to monitor crowding on a route. There is an opportunity for this 'body recognition' to be used on the upper/lower deck to see what buses and what times of day certain buses are crowded or empty.
The second idea is not bad, but not efficient in terms of cost. It reminds me of being on plane and seeing that you are flying over Italy, not really useful. However, it is useful knowing the travel information updates.
Finally, Journeys are getting longer so give passengers the chance to have free wi-fi (which can be partly paid by sponsorship), so they make time fly by. They can also check the travel updates.
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Post by routew15 on Jun 23, 2014 9:27:31 GMT
The Spare Seat Checker will be good. But should definately be rolled out on the trunk route first. The live travel map is a bit unnecessary but I think it will come in handy when a bus gets turned so that passengers can find how far the next bus is behind (in distance not in minutes) and it is also useful for those who want to know how far the next bus stop is. If buses were to get WiFi I think it'd arrive most probably by 2018. Espically seeing how no DLR Platforms and no Tram stops have WiFi. I'm sure these would be a priority over buses. Also, let's not forget there will most probably be plans for Crossrail to get WiFi at most of its stations if not all. But as with most things we'll just have to wait and see... |
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Post by Swadbus on Jun 23, 2014 9:32:37 GMT
What would be the point of free wifi when in a major urban area such as greater London has some of the best data signal already? I honestly don't know anybody under the age of 70 without a smart phone that already has data use via their mobile. Providing wifi will not provide value for money, it only works as a principle underground due to the lack of mobile signal.
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Post by snoggle on Jun 23, 2014 9:33:32 GMT
A few comments in response to some of the previous remarks.
Firstly it is WHV1 which is the test bed bus for the new facilities and it's on route 12 today.
For those complaining about the map facility I think we're seeing it through the eyes of people who know where they're going. I have seen similar systems on Zurich's trams and buses and it is very useful if you need reassurance. In Zurich they go one better and tell you what bus and traim connections are due *in real time* as you approach an interchange stop. Very, very useful and a potential next development for TfL although clearly some bits of the network would have information overload. I can actually see the live map facility being helpful on those routes in sparser parts of London and on "hail and ride" sections of routes. If they do develop it to show connections then it would be great in the Outer Boroughs where frequencies are not so high but knowing if a connection was due in a few mins would help people know where to change - if they had a choice as to what bus to change to or place to change.
I know £21 for a weekly bus pass can be a lot of money for people but given the vast network and service levels we have in London then it's much better value than almost anywhere else. TfL still make a £380m loss on the bus network - if it was commercially operated we'd have much higher fares and far less service. You'd be complaining about your weekly bus pass being £40 a week or else having to have two, three or four separate operator only passes to get around if we had a deregulated competitive market and you needed to travel over a wide area (as many people do).
TfL are apparently trying to develop their understanding of how busy particular routes are. Clearly they have Oyster and survey info but they're looking to see if they can use Oyster data to create "proxy destinations" given people don't touch out on buses. As a lot of people make regular journeys you can make an intelligent guess as to where people will alight on a return journey if you look at their outward one and see where they boarded. As we've been told on this forum Oyster Data contains the stop ID where you boarded so TfL should certainly be able to see the busy stops where lots of people board.
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Post by londonbusboy on Jun 23, 2014 10:39:11 GMT
I assume the screen with the map would effectively replace the current iBus screen? It would also make more sense to place 1 on each deck but i suspect cost is a factor
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(Hey... I only do this when there's plenty of other seats available, don't chastise me! 
Couldn't TFL instead put this much effort into their existing technologies? iBus - making buses show up even if they are on a diversion route...just one of many ideas, making a proper 'cashless' announcement and message on the iBus screen, revamping their awful laggy website...etc etc. Nevertheless, interesting developments.
) They could also fit Lothian-style blinds, LED's, which would be more descriptive than the current offering...
