Melbournians waiting at the bus stop can now track their bus in real-time on their phones
Some bus users in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs are now able to track the arrival time of their bus via GPS.
Public Transport Victoria (PTV) has rolled out a GPS bus tracking system for metropolitan buses, which it expects to be highly useful for commuters, especially in peak times when buses can be late due to heavy traffic.
This information will be available on the PTV website and in the latest version the PTV app and allow bus users to better plan their journey on the network.
It will also help PTV and individual bus operators, by enhancing its operational management capabilities and identifying routes where drivers maybe struggling to adhere to the timetable.
The rollout of real-time bus information is being phased in gradually, one region at a time, according to a statement released by PTV.
SmartBus services to Brighton, Blackburn, Rowville, Caulfield, Frankston, Chelsea, Altona, Mordialloc, The Pines, Warrandyte and Mitcham can now be tracked in real time via the internet.
This Includes three services from the outer-eastern suburbs to the city, and one to from the Mornington Peninsula to Melbourne Airport.
Further bus routes will be progressively included.
PTV is now seeking people interested in helping it develop new digital products for customers that will help them to easily access the real-time data and present it to them in a more user-friendly way.
Those interested are invited to attend an initial brainstorming session in Melbourne on Thursday, May 28.
The aim is to create an app with an interface that is intuitive to use and easy to understand and ready to develop within the next few months.