Amsterdam Bus lessons for DB

bk

So I was in Amsterdam over the weekend and I took some buses in Amsterdam and I was very impressed with the service and I think there maybe some lessons to be learned here by DB.

1) In Bus RTPI

The buses had excellent RTPI screens. They seemed to be something like 20" LCD screens, probably just standard TV's. The top line had the route number and destination, followed by the next 4 bus stops and the Estimated Arrival Time at each stop (dynamically updated via GPS I assume), with the next stop highlighted and the final line had the current time. When you clicked the stop button "Stop" would appear in red on the bottom line also.

It looked something like this, though the ones I saw had an even nicer, more modern design, but I can't find a picture of it:
http://intrinsicstrategy.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/BusDisplay.jpg

These screens made getting around the city as a tourist incredibly easy. It was so easy to know where to get off, it was hassle free and a pleasure.

The great thing about using a standard screen like this probably connected to a computer is that it would be trivial to update them in future with extra info, such as upcoming route changes, etc.

I hope DB use a similar system.

One noticeable thing was that there were no audio announcements, which IMO is great, you only need to look at the screen if you are a tourist, otherwise locals aren't disturbed. Of course blind people need to be catered for, but I believe alternative compromise solutions can be made for time.

Unfortunately I'm sure that the usability of such as system on DB will be compromised when they are forced to also include stupid Irish place names.

2) Google Transit

I was able to use Google Maps and Transit on my iPhone to get my current location, enter my destination and Google would give me precise details on how to get where I need to go, including different Bus, Tram and Metro options. In the bus example, it told me how to get to the stop, the ETA of the next bus (RTPI) and most impressively when on the bus the ETA at my destination stop, which exactly matched the on bus screen described above.

It was an absolutely amazing system. It totally blows away all of Dublins crappy separate apps for RTPI and journey planners.

I've used Google Transit in a few cities now and for a tourist or even local taking an unusual route, it is absolutely amazing.

PLEASE NTA, make the RTPI info and routes of DB, Luas, DART, BE, Irish Rail etc. available on Goggle Transit.

There is really no excuse not to do it, now that we have all the RTPI data, which is the hard part. Please join the 300 other cities in the world that already do this.

3) Amsterdam use bendy buses with three doors. You enter at the front door and exit at the rare doors. They also have leap style cards, but they tag-on at the front of the bus, and tag-off while getting off at the rare doors. No need for driver interaction, other then for the odd stupid tourist like us. Dwell times were noticeably low.

BTW when you use the card to tag-on there is a loud beep and a very obvious large green light. Another lesson for DB and the NTA here.

Cash fare was an expensive €2.70, but it allowed for one hour journey on all bus/tram/metro.

Their version of Leap card has a very interesting and sensible way of working that I think could make a lot of sense in Dublin.

When you get on a tram you pay:
- A base fare of 75 cent
- plus 10 cent per kilometer

Other forms of travel, such as bus, have the same base fare but can have a higher cost per km.

If you tag-off a tram, but then tag-on a bus (or different tram, metro, etc.) within 35 minutes, then you aren't charged the base fare again, you then only pay the per km fare, whatever it is for your mode of transport.

Seems very sensible, you are basically just paying for the length of your journey and can use different forms of transport to make that journey.

I think such a system could work really well in Dublin, if DB did tag-on and tag-off.

Imagine paying 75 cent (or similar when you get on a bus), then paying 10 cent per km on the bus or 15 cent per km on the luas or 13 cent per km on the DART, etc.

On the whole, an incredibly well thought out public transport system in Amsterdam. And don't even get me started on their bicycle infrastructure!!

AlekSmart

bk wrote: »

So I was in Amsterdam over the weekend and I took some buses in Amsterdam and I was very impressed with the service and I think there maybe some lessons to be learned here by DB.........

............On the whole, an incredibly well thought out public transport system in Amsterdam. And don't even get me started on their bicycle infrastructure!!

Dublin Bus are quite amenable,in reality,to learning lessons from whereever they can.

However,the company has nothing whatever to learn from Amsterdam unless a host of other Irish regulatory agencies are prepared to go Dutch also.....and that ain't happening any day soon.:(

It really is all about Money.....

http://www.emta.com/spip.php?article750

littlejp

The Google Transit intergration shouldn't cost much, if anything.

A tag on/tag off for Leap would be a great move.