Southern Queensland operator Clark’s Logan City is set to trial a bus positioning system across its fleet later this year, backed by TransLink
March 30, 2011
Clark’s Logan City will trial a bus positioning system from November as part of a TransLink initiative delivered through German transport software provider Init.
Queensland Transport Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk says the twelve month trial of the ‘Customer First’ product will deliver real-time information on bus locations, and arrival and departure information direct to customers.
“Customers have told us they want more detailed and accurate information about their bus travel,” Palaszczuk says.
“This $11.4 million pilot will let TransLink know exactly where a bus is and how far away it is from a stop or busway station.”
She says the information can then be sent direct to customers via their mobile phones, website applications and also displayed on monitors at stations, terminals, stops and inside buses or ferries.
The preferred tender, from German transport company Init which installed similar sized systems in Vancouver, Dublin and Dubai – will pilot Customer First on all 124 Clarks Logan City buses which run across 27 urban routes and school routes.
Palaszczuk says the system will also operate on route 555 – Logan City to Brisbane CBD – which is one of TransLink’s busiest routes carrying more than 120,000 trips a month and including two state-of-the-art three-door super-buses.
Clarks Logan City Bus CEO Graham Davis says he was excited to be chosen to trial Customer First.
“We’re happy to trial this system which will benefit our customers and our business,” Davis says.
The bus equipment will be designed and built in coming months and progressively installed on buses from November with customer’s being able to access data during the first half of 2012.
Data will allow the exact position of the bus to be reported to a central real-time system that can display that information to customers.
Palaszczuk says Customer First would not only make travel easier by providing more reliable travel information for customers, but also allow TransLink to continue to build a better network.
“This system will highlight points on the network which impact on reliability, help improve fleet management and allow us to better use our infrastructure.”