RTPI for Dublin Bus services now available - DB website

lil5

Real Time Passenger Information for Dublin Bus services now available - Dublinbus.ie / Travel News -
http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/News-Centre/Travel-News/Real-Time-Passenger-Information-for-Dublin-Bus-services-now-available-/

Real Time Passenger Information for Dublin Bus services now available

Monday, September 26, 2011

Real Time Passenger Information for Dublin Bus services now available on Web, iPhone app and SMS

Dublin Bus customers will now be able to check the actual arrival time of their bus at all 5,000 bus stops and shelters on the Dublin Bus network using new online, SMS and iPhone app services. On Monday, 26th September, Minister of State with responsibility for Public and Commuter Transport, Alan Kelly officially launched the Real Time Passenger Information features.

Real Time Information will show you when your bus is due to arrive at your bus stop so you can plan your journey more accurately. Dublin Bus is the first transport provider to offer the new service which is an initiative of the National Transport Authority and delivered in conjunction with Dublin City Council.

Dublin Bus customers can access Real Time Passenger Information by entering their bus stop number:

• within RTPI section on this website or TransportforIreland.ie
• text your bus stop number to 53035* (e.g. text 1234 to 53035) or refine your search by including your route number (e.g. text 1234 46a to 53035)
• on the official free Dublin Bus iPhone app
*Costs 30c per message received. Network operator charges may apply, service provided by Open Sky data Systems

Bus stop numbers can be found on the top of the bus stop just below the Dublin Bus Castle symbol.

jacko1

fair play to Alan Kelly for pushing this - -he's a breath of fresh air after years of Noel Dempsey

thomasj

have been messing around with this looks like most if not all stops are now covered! very impressed!

etchyed

jacko1 wrote: »

fair play to Alan Kelly for pushing this - -he's a breath of fresh air after years of Noel Dempsey

This was all happening well before the current government came into power.

n97 mini

Considering Android is the #1 selling smartphone OS, I'm always curious at state agencies/semi states coming out with iPhone apps instead.

n97 mini

lil5 wrote: »

Dublin Bus customers will now be able to check the actual arrival time of their bus at all 5,000 bus stops

Just tried the 5 closest stops to me.. all Sorry, Real Time Information is currently unavailable for this bus stop.

AlekSmart

n97 mini wrote: »

Considering Android is the #1 selling smartphone OS, I'm always curious at state agencies/semi states coming out with iPhone apps instead.

It appears the Andriod app will be available from November...but yes,curiousity is always rewarded with better understanding....;)

n97 mini

Are the apps GPS aware with the ability to tell you where your nearest stop is, like the (excellent) Next Train Ireland app?

robd

AlekSmart wrote: »

It appears the Andriod app will be available from November...but yes,curiousity is always rewarded with better understanding....;)

There's already a 3rd party app for Android. Dublin Bus by Black Jade. Works a treat, although UI a little clunky and takes while to get hang of.



https://market.android.com/details?id=com.blackjade.galaxy.android&feature=search_result

sodaev

downloaded the update from the app store. lets you use the map to browse, zooms in on your location by default.

robd

n97 mini wrote: »

Just tried the 5 closest stops to me.. all Sorry, Real Time Information is currently unavailable for this bus stop.

From my experience it only works for stops that have a digital display already. So you need to track back and figure out what closest stop with display is.

This is just my experience rather than gospel.

Ben D Bus

Information for my local stop now appears on the Dublin Bus rtpi page, but not on rtpi.ie

It's not appearing on my Next Bus Dublin android app either. I think it reads from rtpi.ie

Billy Davey

robd wrote: »

From my experience it only works for stops that have a digital display already. So you need to track back and figure out what closest stop with display is.

This is just my experience rather than gospel.

I tried a few of the stops which are near my house, none of which have physical signs at them. Real time info displayed no prob on the Dublin Bus website.

LXFlyer

n97 mini wrote: »

Just tried the 5 closest stops to me.. all Sorry, Real Time Information is currently unavailable for this bus stop.

Given you tried that just at the time the 66a was due to leave (I'm assuming that you were checking that route from your posts in the other thread) and there isn't one for another hour you could have just caught it between buses, or indeed the bus could have had defective GPS, but either way the 1450 66a is appearing now for each of the Leixlip stops.

It only gives information for buses within the next 60 minutes.

devnull

It seems that the ACIS Connect web system is only connected to the stops which have signs and instead Dublin Bus have built their own propriety web system to deal with the feeds rather than using the standard one that is seen on RTPI.ie.

Also the other downside of this is the text only option is removed which is ideal for mobile phones other than iPhones which do not have an application yet. Dublin Bus' response was to wait until November or I can always send a text and pay for it - hardly an acceptable alternative. Deciding to build a propriety system that takes away a handy standadrd feature in the original system then telling your customers, don't worry you can always pay to get the times is cheeky to say the least.

Generally it is great to finally get this system up and running after years of promises and non delivery, and thankfully it seems the NTA have got peoples heads bashed together and working on a common goal Congrats to Dublin Bus, Dublin City Council and the National Transport Authority - just get the text only option back!

bk

n97 mini wrote: »

Considering Android is the #1 selling smartphone OS, I'm always curious at state agencies/semi states coming out with iPhone apps instead.

But is it in Ireland?

I know it is in the US, but from what I've seen, iPhone is normally number 1 in Europe.

That is still no excuse, both are now big enough to have equal support.

For commercial apps, it seems developers generally make more money off iPhone, even in the US.

Jonathan

Until Dublin Bus bring out an Android app, this frame for the RTPI website is fairly smartphone friendly.

http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/RTPI/Search-RTPI-iFrame/

Mr Simpson

n97 mini wrote: »

Are the apps GPS aware with the ability to tell you where your nearest stop is, like the (excellent) Next Train Ireland app?

Yep, its actually quite good, seems to be pretty acurate on the times as well

n97 mini

lxflyer wrote: »

Given you tried that just at the time the 66a was due to leave (I'm assuming that you were checking that route from your posts in the other thread) and there isn't one for another hour you could have just caught it between buses, or indeed the bus could have had defective GPS, but either way the 1450 66a is appearing now for each of the Leixlip stops.

It only gives information for buses within the next 60 minutes.

You are correct in that the stops are enabled.

Doesn't change the fact that the DB website is wrong tho...

D14

Although glitchy the route planner has dart integrated, but it called the dart the Luas

totoal

Dublin Bus Iphone App requires iOS 4.3. Not gonna work on my ipod touch 2nd gen!

SteM

robd wrote: »

There's already a 3rd party app for Android. Dublin Bus by Black Jade. Works a treat, although UI a little clunky and takes while to get hang of.



https://market.android.com/details?id=com.blackjade.galaxy.android&feature=search_result

That is a great app but the route changes are reflected on it. 77a still only gord to The Square, 27 still reflects the old route etc.

n97 mini

Anyone know if the Nitelinks are going to be included on this system?

Would make them usable for the few pick up points that are not the terminus.

mambo

Has Dublin Bus or any third-party used the live GPS bus positioning data to calculate average/median/etc. journey times for different routes at different times of day?

blackdog2

Just want to add, that the times displayed at the bus stops seem to bear absolutely no relation to real life. Serious disappointment at this level of RTPI. The times I have witnessed were Monday to Friday last week, around 9pm at Westmoreland st stop on the 66/67 route

snappieT

blackdog2 wrote: »

Just want to add, that the times displayed at the bus stops seem to bear absolutely no relation to real life. Serious disappointment at this level of RTPI. The times I have witnessed were Monday to Friday last week, around 9pm at Westmoreland st stop on the 66/67 route

That's what this is for: http://www.transportforireland.ie/send-feedback

blackdog2

Yes, I know. It will be reported, don't worry, but I am pointing out the obvious, that it doesn't seem to work, or at least is less useful than a printed timetable

LXFlyer

blackdog2 wrote: »

Yes, I know. It will be reported, don't worry, but I am pointing out the obvious, that it doesn't seem to work, or at least is less useful than a printed timetable

Are you basing your wide ranging criticism on just one stop?

It could be that stop needs adjusting for the predictive times.

To be honest my experience has been quite the opposite to yours.

Ben D Bus

blackdog2 wrote: »

but I am pointing out the obvious, that it doesn't seem to work, or at least is less useful than a printed timetable

It works perfectly for me. Apart from one route at one stop, where the bus has to negotiate 2 tight turns, poor parking and a set of traffic lights immediately before the stop. It's impossible to predict. Even when I see the bus coming, I know it could be anything from 30 seconds to 3 minutes depending on events. No RTPI system can be that accurate.

blackdog2

Ben D Bus wrote: »

It works perfectly for me. Apart from one route at one stop, where the bus has to negotiate 2 tight turns, poor parking and a set of traffic lights immediately before the stop. It's impossible to predict. Even when I see the bus coming, I know it could be anything from 30 seconds to 3 minutes depending on events. No RTPI system can be that accurate.

I mean buses displayed as due, and disappearing without trace, or being off by over 20 minutes

LXFlyer

blackdog2 wrote: »

I mean buses displayed as due, and disappearing without trace, or being off by over 20 minutes

Indeed but you are judging an entire system based on one single stop?

It sounds like there were operational issues if buses were not showing up.

lil5

lxflyer wrote: »

It sounds like there were operational issues if buses were not showing up.

Operational issues are a daily occurance with DB with some routes suffering more than others at different times of the day.

The problem is when any operational interference isn't communicated accurately to the RTPI system, be it on the web or on the pole displays.

There are far too many incidents across various threads of buses disappearing off the pole displays (after counting down for more than 10 minutes) and buses not showing up once 'Due' is displayed.

Also, the 'Expected Delays'-icon is popping up occassionally on the DB RTPI-website, then it disappears again. There is no information what it actually means (bus more than x min behind timetable? bus possibly regulated? looking for a driver? driver on a break?).

As soon as there has to be operational interference due to various reasons (insufficient running times, drivers reaching their work time limit, no scheduled overtime driver available, ...) the RTPI becomes inaccurate without giving any indication that there might be a problem.


The Feedback-option via the transportforireland-website is a nice gesture, but it should really be a two-way communication where the reported issue should be replied and issues are gathered in a database with view access. They could have done that for a limited time with selected users and would have most likely got better feedback this way.

blackdog2

lxflyer wrote: »

Indeed but you are judging an entire system based on one single stop?

It sounds like there were operational issues if buses were not showing up.

Sorry for the delay in replying.

Of course I am judging the entire system based on a single stop. If you really want to discuss it, I am judging it on two stops, but on the same leg of the same route.I have no interest in investigating further, I am a user of Dublin Bus by necessity rather than interest. If a system doesn't work as intended for me, I will say it doesn't work. The information provided at both stops is completely inaccurate. It really seems as if these are digital timetable displays, i.e. not real time. These stops are both on the outbound leg of the journey, as inward stops haven't had RTPI installed, even though it is more difficult to judge the time a bus should be due on the inbound leg. What annoys me most is that it seems as if the mountings have been installed for stops on the inbound leg, but displays haven't been fitted.

thomasj

waiting on a bus at the navan road I checked the website to see if my bus was coming only to notice

70 Hawkins street via newlands cross

this was the outbound stop,

one other thing that I noticed for the 37 outbound the destination is showing as blanchardstown road south

LXFlyer

The bi-lingual functionality is now being rolled out - some of the city centre displays are now alternating between English and Irish.

SandyfordGuy

I thought something was happening this morning because a lot of stops seemed to turn themselves off and then come back on a few minutes later with what appeanred to be Irish.

AlekSmart

SandyfordGuy wrote: »

I thought something was happening this morning because a lot of stops seemed to turn themselves off and then come back on a few minutes later with what appeanred to be Irish.

Yes indeed and from the evidence before my eyes yesterday in Nassau St,a VERY retrograde step indeed.

Just as the decison to append the words "Sorry-Ár Leithsceil" to the "Not In Service" destination display has resulted in significant legibility problems,particularly for those of limited vision,the RTPI displays are proof that our system should have been left as it was.

The screeens ás gailge now appear cluttered and in some cases indicipherable to a fast glance,particularly to those who cannot or do not wish to read Irish text.

Perhaps a safer and more sensible approach would be to provide a set number of Irish-only RTPI units on each corridor based upon the census figures for those who maintain they speak Irish on a daily basis.

For what it's worth I believe that our Language does need encouragement,but not in silly self-defeating ways such as this latest wheeze.

stop

AlekSmart wrote: »

Yes indeed and from the evidence before my eyes yesterday in Nassau St,a VERY retrograde step indeed.

Just as the decison to append the words "Sorry-Ár Leithsceil" to the "Not In Service" destination display has resulted in significant legibility problems,particularly for those of limited vision,the RTPI displays are proof that our system should have been left as it was.

I'm still trying to figure out the use for "Entering Service" on the display..

SandyfordGuy

AlekSmart wrote: »

Yes indeed and from the evidence before my eyes yesterday in Nassau St,a VERY retrograde step indeed.

Just as the decison to append the words "Sorry-Ár Leithsceil" to the "Not In Service" destination display has resulted in significant legibility problems,particularly for those of limited vision,the RTPI displays are proof that our system should have been left as it was.

The screeens ás gailge now appear cluttered and in some cases indicipherable to a fast glance,particularly to those who cannot or do not wish to read Irish text.

Perhaps a safer and more sensible approach would be to provide a set number of Irish-only RTPI units on each corridor based upon the census figures for those who maintain they speak Irish on a daily basis.

For what it's worth I believe that our Language does need encouragement,but not in silly self-defeating ways such as this latest wheeze.

I haven't seen this yet properly as I only got a quick glance on my way to work, but this was my worry as well that this problem could be caused with it being much harder and longer for the 80% who are not bothered if it's in Irish or not, and is going to confuse tourists without any doubt. But I do appreciate that Irish is our language to a degree, which is why I think the idea of showing it in areas where there is a number of people going to see benefit to it will be a good idea.

I would estimate the reason Dublin Bus added the sorry part in the displays because like it or not, the "Out of Service' scroll has a very bad stigma attached to it with Dublin Bus, and people have bad associations with these buses terminating short, not picking up at certain bus stops, and being out of service when they should be in, so this was an attempt to try and improve PR. I don't have a problem with it myself if we were in a single language country, but we are not, therefore by doing it, you have to make the text harder to read as AlekSmart says.

However a few weeks ago I saw some Irish speaking gentleman making a complaint in no uncertain terms to a Dublin Bus inspector, that he expected all on bus literature, and all at stop literature to be word for word translated under the Official Languages act, because at the moment the stage names are not in Irish and neither is some other of the information. I hope to god for everyone's sake, that this kind of attitude is not allowed to prevail. Although I have an idea it won't, as that'll need the stages on the streets in the first place :pac:

Aard

I can't fcuking stand the Gaeilge brigade. They manage to tar a language that I love and use pretty much every day -- more often than most of them do themselves! Pragmatism, lads!


RTPI vs OLA: one step forward, two steps back.

KD345

stop wrote: »

I'm still trying to figure out the use for "Entering Service" on the display..

It means a bus is on it's way to a terminus to begin a route. I think it just gives a bit more explanation to the old 'out of service'.

BenShermin

I don't buy into the whole "it will confuse tourists" argument at all. I was in Cardiff on Monday and had no problem finding my way through the central train station which has departure screens rotating between English and Welsh. It's a similar story in Brussels where all public transport info is in French and Dutch. Tourists going to bilingual areas should know what to expect.

I think bus timetables with no intermediate times, the stage system and lack of info generally would confuse tourists to Dublin more than bilingual RTPI displays.

stop

KD345 wrote: »

It means a bus is on it's way to a terminus to begin a route. I think it just gives a bit more explanation to the old 'out of service'.

I'd prefer if they just ran in service from the garage to a terminus!

Ambp

It looks awful visually walking down Nassau St in the dark to see five or six bright signs flashing between the two languages, and it's annoying when you're trying to read them too. Irish shouldnt be a requirement where there's limited space like this, the bus numbers and the arrival times are digits, what's the need to have the destination and 'nóm' flashing up every few seconds?!

The bilingual requirement will stop Ireland from ever having any kind of iconic transport branding

etchyed

Ambp wrote: »

It looks awful visually walking down Nassau St in the dark to see five or six bright signs flashing between the two languages,

What, specifically is awful visually about the alternation between the two languages?

and it's annoying when you're trying to read them too.

the bus numbers and the arrival times are digits, what's the need to have the destination and 'nóm' flashing up every few seconds?!

The above two statements directly contradict each other. If all you're interested in is the route number and the number of minutes you should remain completely unaffected by the alternation between languages.

The bilingual requirement will stop Ireland from ever having any kind of iconic transport branding

What a total red herring! The fractured nature of the operation of public transport in this country is what's stopping Ireland from having "iconic transport branding", not that it's in any way relevant to this debate.

In its own way, the use of Irish is iconic and unique, and I would agree entirely with BenShermin that tourists are more likely to find it interesting than confusing.

Bilingual signage is not a revolutionary notion, it exists all over Europe. I actually wasn't in favour of this change to alternating bilingual signage and I'm not an Irish-language fascist, but now it's been done I can't really see the problem with it and most of the arguments being made against it here hold absolutely no ground whatsoever.

etchyed

http://youtu.be/r1Hb2UaHM1o

Has anyone got any updates or info about the outcome of this trial?

AngryLips

I guess it makes sense to develop for iOS first seeing as it's the number one smartphone in the country coupled with the fact that iPhone users are far more inclined to use the app store than android users use the android flee market.

I was walking along Suffolk Street today when I noticed an odd looking symbol next to the bus number, it was only as I got closer I realised it was a wheelchair symbol. Then the next stop down (served by the 25a/b) there was no symbol. This is despite the fact that almost all DB busses are wheelchair accessible ...curious.

Aard

Noticed that too. Tbh it looks like they used the japanese character ょ and not a special symbol. In fact, it took me a couple of seconds to realise that it wasn't a new trilingual display glitch, but that it meant wheelchair accessible.