RTPI in the Nordic countries

As far back as ten years ago, the real-time information system in Gothenburg could operate on a citywide basis and countdown minute by minute information about the next departure relating to all trams and buses from all stops. It was around this time that the R&D project GoTiC was launched to develop a user-adapted system for displaying real-time information via different media, such as displays and monitors at the stops, displays inside the vehicles, mobile phones and websites.

Nowadays real-time information is a natural service to public transport passengers in Gothenburg; real-time information displays are mounted into the shelters at more and more bus and tram stops and exchange places all over the city. While real-time information is also accessible via mobile phones using WAP technology, a Traffic Information Centre is producing and sending information about disturbances via loud speakers at the stops and text messages to all real-time information media. Such messages outline the cause of delay together with recommendations for continuing a journey in the event of serious disruption to the traffic system.

InformNorden

In 1998 GoTiC took the initiative to start cooperation in the field of IT among all public transport companies in the Nordic countries. This organisation is called InformNorden and is controlled by the public transport companies in the capitals of the five Nordic countries Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. The purpose is to stimulate the exchange of ideas and learn from each other what is happening in IT in public transport. Every year there is an International InformNorden IT Conference, working groups for data radio communication, the usage of mobile telephones, standards for data exchange and IT systems in the working place for bus drivers have been organised. An Open Mailbox on the InformNorden website (informnorden.org) may be used for several purposes on a daily basis.

Real-time systems in the Nordic countries

Our definition of a real-time system is a system in which the vehicles can communicate in some way with the roadside in order to collect and display information about the most recent vehicle positions. The interest for real-time systems in Sweden is striking. This is a clear change from the situation only a few years earlier.

A survey concerning installations of real-time systems in Sweden was carried out by Arnström Consulting on behalf of the Swedish Public Transport Association and presented at the InformNorden International IT Conference in Copenhagen 2004.

Some of the real-time systems are large, or relatively large, with all buses in the system. It is quite obvious that the technology is now regarded to be mature and therefore of interest not only to the first pioneers but also to most actors. Out of twenty regional public transport authorities in Sweden only four have no plans to install real-time systems.

Finland was also rather early to install real-time information systems and today there are at least two larger bus systems in operation – apart from the real-time information system for bus and tram in Helsinki. In Denmark there are real-time systems in Copenhagen and Northern Jutland. In Odense all buses are in the real-time system. In Norway there are a number of limited small systems in operation besides the new expanding real-time system for tram and bus in Oslo. In Iceland Greater Reykjavik Transport is now considering a real-time information system.

Problems

There are still real-time systems in operation not working satisfactorily. Some of them are not reliable at all. If the statistics produced and the information to the passengers is not reliable, the real-time system can neither be used to better plan the traffic nor increase the number of passengers. Delays in the transmissions of data and/or non-reporting vehicles are unfortunately still a reality in many systems. Passengers outside the public transport system using, for example, mobile phones to check real-time arrivals to the nearest stop might get wrong information. And when a passenger is standing at a stop waiting for the next bus he can sometimes see his bus approaching while the display is showing many minutes left. This does not instil faith in the system. A further problem is when the bus is a non-reporting so-called ‘ghost bus’ and he cannot catch the bus due to the fact that he has already left the stop to do something else relying on the displayed information. Real-time statistics must always be complete; there should not be a lot of hacks due to non-reporting vehicles (‘ghost buses’).

Another area of interest is communication.

GPRS has not shown to be the solution for all problems. System delays make it difficult to control traffic stop lights, which is the most ‘profitable’ part of the systems. This will not be solved until data is given higher priority in the nets.

Mobitex has been used for data transmission for a number of years, but is used by relatively few public transport authorities. Though it is a very good data radio, the fact that there is a cost per message seems to be a restraining factor.

TETRA is essentially a voice radio with data capability that has proven unable to cope with the enormous amounts of data that are required.

New trends

It now looks like the suppliers of real-time systems are facing the quality of the systems.

A new marketing trend is True real-time information systems, as opposed to near real-time systems. There is, for example, a new communication system on the market called IT-radio based on private radio. IT-radio is very lean in the use of frequencies, so there is never any problem getting frequency permits. An advantage is that you can put more information in the messages and since the system can communicate with other onboard systems this enables other types of information to be sent with the position messages, such as vehicle health. Another major advantage is that the same hardware is used for for traffic light priority and this is probably the most cost efficient part of the system because it can save vehicles and fuel.

Another trend we are witnessing is demands for better reliability. The suppliers have answered these demands by offering systems that are more network based and less central computer based. This has been shown to improve reliability as well as redundancy and facilitate expansion.

Requirements for reliable real-time information In response to the above, a ‘list of necessities’ could be added for introducing a reliable real-time system in a city’s transport system (cited from GoTiC research report “Effects of real-time information in Gothenburg”).

• A road system that separates public transport traffic and car traffic
• A system for traffic stoplight priority that allows public transport vehicles to pass and thus enables very accurate predictions of driving times
• Electricity at all stops in the system
• Internal marketing of the idea to ensure the wholehearted support of municipal decision makers
• A detailed study of travellers´ information needs and requirements
• Established cooperation between the different actors in the public transport system (authorities, traffic operators, suppliers of hardware and software).