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NSW a step closer to real-time bus apps

NSW Government is set to release GPS bus data for third-party app development

October 16, 2012

New South Wales commuters are on the verge of real-time bus service information, with government data servers set to open for app developers next month.

Transport for NSW spokesperson says the NSW government will release the first stage of real-time location data (GPS data), covering the inner city metropolitan Sydney region, on November 3.

“We’re calling for the best and brightest app developers to display their credentials going head-to-head to develop the best products for customers,” the spokesperson says.

“A suite of apps will be developed that will give the customer a real time feed to where their buses are on the route, and inform them of how far away they are.”

The spokesperson says app developers will be assessed
to ensure they meet the needs of customers, technological demands and long-term operational requirements.

According to the spokesperson, in 2013 a second stage of information will be released, covering outer metropolitan areas to improve the range of data available through the existing real time bus feed.

“Eventually a final suite of apps will be released to the market for customers to download and use throughout their journey,” the spokesperson says.

“The real time data will be made more widely available once the first group of developers release their apps to the market.”

The spokesperson says other apps on the market use timetable data that is not as up to date and not real time, while another option, the Text Bus service, which is popular with over 250,000 texts sent a week, comes at a cost to customers.

“With GPS data from our Public Transport Information Priority System (PTIPS) program that tracks buses along their routes, and the digital nous of Sydney’s App developer community, customers will be empowered beyond anything we’ve had in the past,” the spokesperson says.

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