bus location website

SeattleJohn SG

Hello from Seattle, where we like buses and have a good system for getting around.
Say, does Singapore have a website like http://www.nextbus.com that tells you where the buses are, up to the second, all the time?

WindyDay SG

A GPRS trial was conducted many years ago, but the system was never implemented islandwide.
The Vehicle Location System (VLS) which uses a satellite to track buses in order to update fare stages has been installed on 25 routes, and more are being installed on other service routes progressively. This information is for the use of the two bus companies only, and is not available to the public online.
The Singapore public transport system (trains and buses) uses a contactless smart card which one taps at the fare reader when boarding the bus, and again when one alights from the bus. Fare stages need to be correctly updated in order to deduct the correct fare.
Singapore is a small urbanized island-city state and bus frequencies are very regular- an average of 10 minutes or so. In addition, all major residential and city areas are well-served by trains (the Mass Rapid Transit or MRT). There is really no need to track each individual bus in my opinion....unless one is running late and desperately needs to know when the next bus will turn up (probably within the next 10 mins!).

^tamago^ SG

yes.

in singapore, 95% of bus services do not arrive in more than 20 minutes, and most are within 12mins or less.

another reason is that few commuters are willing to have a next bus arrival time facility at bus stops without having the possibility of paying more fares due to a higher operating cost by bus companies required to run these facilities.

iveco SG

Didn’t SBS do a trial of such a system at Somerset MRT some years back?

sBs_boy SG

For other countries i think the answer is yes.. But over in Singapore.. i dont think so.. Ppl here are already used to wait for a bus that is around 5-15mins for a bus.. those buses that have special frequency that is more than 15 mins have a special timetable plate placed at the bus stop to let pessenger know when is the next time the particular service going to arrive.. so… IMO.. i dont think we need such ‘High-Tech’ Service in Singapore..

tranquilice SG

Yes.

^tamago^ SG

jus came in today.

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 18 October 2004 1813 hrs

Commuters can soon find out bus arrival times via SMS
By Yvonne Cheong, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : Have you ever been stuck at a bus-stop, wondering when your bus would arrive?

Well, for those who are waiting for Express Service 518, you can now find out just how much longer the wait will be.

SBS Transit has just rolled out an SMS service, which tells you when Express Bus Service 518 will arrive.

All you need to do is send an SMS to *655.

The service will then ask which bus you are waiting for and the bus- stop code, which can be found on bus-stop poles.

Most bus commuters are applauding this move.

"I think it's fantastic because you won't have to guess what time the bus is coming. You can do some shopping while waiting for the bus."

"I think it's a very good idea because it will help us know what time to reach the bus stop."

The estimated arrival time is derived using a location-based technology, but it doesn't take into account traffic jams.

The service is free over the next four weeks, after which it'll cost 10 cents till March next year, and 30 cents per request after that.

"I think 30 cents is ok. But if they bring the cost lower, that'd be much better," said a member of the public.

"SBS Transit does not benefit from this cost. It all goes to SingTel which I believe will help them defray their development cost," said Mr Elwyn Tan, deputy director for marketing at SBS Transit.

After the pilot run, the service will be extended to other express bus services and later to long frequency bus routes which have longer waiting times.

But the service is only for SBS Transit buses, and for now only available to SingTel mobile users.

"We're looking at tying in with other telcos as well. We'll do a review of the trial one month later, and possibly extend to other express services," said Mr Elwyn Tan. - CNA