Skip to main content

Real-time bus arrivals delivered via scan code

Quick Response codes, or QR codes, are being introduced on a trial basis at some local bus stops in Shanghai to allow passengers to check the whereabouts of buses and the expected arrival time of the next bus. Passengers can obtain real-time information on buses by scanning the QR code using their smartphones, allowing them to adjust commuting plans. The service was first launched in Shanghai during late 2012. Almost 90 bus routes serving Pudong New Area can be checked using a smartphone application. People
March 6, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Quick Response codes, or QR codes, are being introduced on a trial basis at some local bus stops in Shanghai to allow passengers to check the whereabouts of buses and the expected arrival time of the next bus.

Passengers can obtain real-time information on buses by scanning the QR code using their smartphones, allowing them to adjust commuting plans.

The service was first launched in Shanghai during late 2012. Almost 90 bus routes serving Pudong New Area can be checked using a smartphone application. People in Shanghai can expect to see it being offered citywide in June 2013 following the completion of the test.

Major bus operator Shanghai Bashi Group said information may not be right during the test. In some cases, passengers can't access their routes. But the operator said in June, after the test is over, locals can expect to see the service citywide.

Despite some problems, several bus passengers welcomed the idea.  "Passengers can be prepared while they wait once they check the real-time status," said one. "If it takes too long, maybe we can choose other means of transportation."

Related Content

  • Israel aspires to ITS-led future
    May 29, 2013
    Shay Soffer, Chief Scientist with the Israel National Road Safety Authority, talks to Jason Barnes about his country’s current ITS outlook and how he sees this developing in the future. Israel ranks alongside countries such as the US and France in the road safety stakes, with an average 7.1 deaths per billion kilometres driven. But at that point the similarities end, as the country’s overriding issue is pedestrian safety. This is driven by several factors, including being a relatively small country where pe
  • The case for integrating urban traffic control and parking
    February 3, 2012
    Although urban traffic control and parking management are inextricably linked in so many ways, there remain fundamental differences which undermine closer integration. Car parking guidance systems can have a significant, positive impact on congestion in town and city centres, however conflicting business models still stand in the way of the more profound integration of car parking management and Urban Traffic Control (UTC) systems.
  • One-click style from HexaPay's store to mobile meta-wallet
    November 19, 2013
    From January 2014 smartphone users will be able to scan QR codes on L’Oreal product labels and buy them using HexaPay’s “store to mobile meta-wallet” purchase solution. It is the latest advance by the startup in its efforts to bring easy, one-click style purchases to smartphone users. HexaPay is agnostic in terms of mobile platforms and payment systems as its application operates through users’ phone browsers to complete a purchase when they scan a QR code or wave their phones over an NFC reader, said Micha
  • Siemens: self-driving minibuses are the future of first-/last-mile
    February 26, 2020
    Markus Schlitt, CEO of intelligent traffic systems at Siemens Mobility, talks to ITS International about safety and why it is important for cities to offer additional shared and connected transit options.