National Transport Authority - Meeting with Oireachtas Committee

KC61

The head of the NTA met with the Oireachtas Committee on Transport on 3 November last.

It is an interesting presentation and can be found here.

One piece of information that comes from it is that there will be real time on-street displays at 450 locations around Dublin.

Well worth a read once you ignore the usual waffle from the politicians as it is very wide ranging, including timetables, ticketing, real time information, journey planner development and other matters.

foggy_lad

KC61 wrote: »

The head of the NTA met with the Oireachtas Committee on Transport on 3 November last.

It is an interesting presentation and can be found here.

One piece of information that comes from it is that there will be real time on-street displays at 450 locations around Dublin.

Well worth a read once you ignore the usual waffle from the politicians as it is very wide ranging, including timetables, ticketing, real time information, journey planner development and other matters.

it is great that they are finally getting this system on its feet but is 450 really enough locations though considering the number of main/important stops around dublin?

markpb

Some odd/interesting stuff in there.

Integrated ticketing is to be extended nationwide. While I can understand the usefulness in Dublin and Cork, I'm not seeing it in smaller cities where bus is the only commuter option.

There are more developed databases of all bus stops and bus routes for the greater Dublin area. When we unveil the journey planner - it will take about 12 months to develop - it will be a national system.

12 months is a long time - it sounds like they're going to write their own and ignore the existing pile of turd that DB call a journey planner and also the existing commercial and free options already available. Ho hum.

The company (Dublin Bus) has a contract for the next five years. However, in year four, we must review it and engage in public consultation to decide whether we will renew it.

The school transport service is not within our remit and is explicitly excluded from it.

By March 2011, real time displays should be live in Dublin, the SMS system should be working and the websites should be done. It will be interesting to see if they can manage all that.

KC61

markpb wrote: »

By March 2011, real time displays should be live in Dublin, the SMS system should be working and the websites should be done. It will be interesting to see if they can manage all that.

I don't see that being an issue - there are only 3 Dublin Bus depots left to get operational under AVLC (Phibsboro, Donnybrook and Conyngham Road) and one of them should be going live shortly.

As I understand it the SMS system is currently under test and as we all know the on-street displays are being rolled out as we speak.

What was of more interest was the fact that the NTA are going to start detailed reviews of the services offered by the transport companies - this is the first time that this has taken place and is long overdue.

KC61

foggy_lad wrote: »

it is great that they are finally getting this system on its feet but is 450 really enough locations though considering the number of main/important stops around dublin?

Well perhaps you may want to break your piggy bank to fund more of them? You seem to live in a fairytale environment where money is no object. I've already reminded you several times that the country is not exactly flushed with cash.

450 locations is a major start and I'm sure more will follow finances permitting.

markpb

KC61 wrote: »

I don't see that being an issue - there are only 3 Dublin Bus depots left to get operational under AVLC (Phibsboro, Donnybrook and Conyngham Road) and one of them should be going live shortly.

If DB can't change timetables in the rain, I lack confidence in their ability to roll out RTIS over the Winter

[yes I'm being facetious]

munchkin_utd

markpb wrote: »

12 months is a long time - it sounds like they're going to write their own and ignore the existing pile of turd that DB call a journey planner and also the existing commercial and free options already available. Ho hum.

indeed.

Bus eireann already use the system developed by Deutsche Bahn.
If you go to the Bahn website, you can plan a journey from any street in Germany to even as far away as Vladivostock.

CIE aka Bus Eireann etc already are paying for the system.

If they just bunged in "CIE - Bus Dublin" and "CIE - Rail services INC." timetable information into that, then theres nothing more to do.

(ok, theres probably a few config things to settle but heck, youre saved providing algorithms for the route planning itsself at least )

serfboard

The NTA wrote:

In 2010, the authority provided subvention of €276 billion to the three operators, Dublin Bus, Irish Rail and Bus Éireann.

Ah sure if that's the case, €50 billion to the banks is only a drop in the ocean

AlekSmart

KC61 posts....

What was of more interest was the fact that the NTA are going to start detailed reviews of the services offered by the transport companies - this is the first time that this has taken place and is long overdue.

An interesting observation,although clearly flagged already in the DB/NTA agreement.

What occupies my waking moments here is whether or not the NTA service reviews are to be undertaken whilst so much of Dublin Buses Network is currently in a State of Collapse viz Phase one of Network Direct ?

If data from the current Network Direct phase one fiasco is to be admitted then Dublin Bus can wave goodbye to the N11 QBC Corridor...raising the question as to whether the current situation has been engineered specifically to allow this to occur ?

There is an increasing sense of unease abroad in relation to how the Network Direct programme has been implemented so perhaps the answers may well come from left-of-field ?