Bus-timing services spark online debate
According to AsiaOne News:
TWO camps of people are split down the middle over the usefulness of two separate systems that provide information about bus-arrival times at bus stops and interchanges.
In the first camp, commuters – some of whom have posted their grouses online – feel that these systems are a waste of resources because of inaccuracies in the bus-arrival timings.
And in the other camp, the authorities say that unforeseen traffic conditions mean that buses may not always arrive within the stated time.
The two systems – the Real-Time Bus Arrival Information panel and the Intelligent Route Information System (Iris) – were launched two years ago by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SBS Transit respectively.
Recently, however, netizens have groused about the two systems on online forums.
Read the full article at AsiaOne News:
- Personally, they can easily resolve this problem by installing GPS tracking devices on all the buses and have a 22 inch touch screen monitor at all bus stops to allow user to TRACK their buses.
Let’s say I want bus 48, I simply click on that bus number and the system should locate all the incoming bus that is number 48 in the correct direction of that bus stop and locate it’s GPS coordinate in REAL TIME
(yes using fast internet connection to server that collects all GPS coordinates) and plot it on a map (maybe google map or inbuilt map) of Singapore.
The time estimation will change in “REAL TIME” according to the traffic condition
e.g. Average speed of bus and weird long stoppages
The map that shows the moving bus as a red dot can potentially show the route that the bus is using and your current location (another GPS at bus stop).
If the server is online and accessible world wide, I suggest to allow people to register an account to allow iPhone or HTC Andriod phones to develop a application to track ANY BUS in Singapore in real time using their 3G network & GPS built in.
This will be a multi-million project that I believe half of the system is already in place such as the GPS installation in order for the “IRIS or Real-Time Bus Arrival Information panel” to work as mentioned in the article.
This means a MAP on iPhone, HTC to see a blinking red dot of incoming bus of choice…how difficult can that be?
Wake up your ideas everyone!
