Bus stop screens to tell time of next bus

ON-SCREEN information on the location of buses is expected to be available to Dublin commuters next year.

An automatic vehicle location and control (AVCL) system is to provide information to Dublin Bus users, initially via mobile phone through SMS text and on the website www.dublinbus.ie

Information will also be fed back to screens at bus stops, outlining to commuters the exact location of their bus.

Trials are under way at Summerhill depot as part of a €10 million project funded by the Government’s Transport 21 programme. It is to be extended to all other depots and the system is expected to be fully operational next year.

A Dublin Bus spokesman said each bus would be equipped with an on-board computer interfacing with an existing radio system, which would transmit location data back to depots and other monitoring points.

“In addition to this, bus location data from the AVLC central computer system will be transmitted to Dublin City Council’s Scats traffic control central computer,” the spokesman added.

“This will allow for greater bus prioritisation at signal-controlled junctions.”

Dublin Bus has appointed a German firm, Init, to install the system.

A major upgrade of the mobile radio system has been implemented to facilitate the transmission of the AVLC data to and from buses. The existing analogue trunked radio system has been enhanced by the addition of dedicated data channels to carry AVLC data.

The Dublin Bus spokesman said the new system would provide for more accurate information for the passenger and would, therefore, make a bus a more attractive and convenient mode of transport.