Skip to main content

App taps into world’s largest and most complex real time passenger info system

Transport for London’s (TfL) award winning Countdown System delivers bus real time information for every one of the 19,000 bus stops and 700 routes in London is claimed to be the largest and most technically complex real time passenger information system of its kind in the world. In 2009 Telent was awarded the contract by TfL to develop the Countdown software to deliver web and mobile content.
July 11, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
RSS1466 Transport for London’s (TfL) award winning Countdown System delivers bus real time information for every one of the 19,000 bus stops and 700 routes in London is claimed to be the largest and most technically complex real time passenger information system of its kind in the world. In 2009 525 Telent was awarded the contract by TfL to develop the Countdown software to deliver web and mobile content.

Following on from that success, UK-headquartered Telent has launched a new iphone app called BUStop London which takes full advantage of the information provided by the Countdown system. The app provides a clean user interface allowing users to easily see their nearest bus stops and travel options. It has seamless integration with social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook as well as allowing the easy sending of emails and SMS messages in-app. This means that users can efficiently share information, in a variety of ways, based on their location and bus travel plans.

BUStop London also allows users to set customisable alerts notifying them when a bus is approaching a selected stop. For example, a user could set an alert for five minutes before their bus reaches their nearest stop, thus allowing them to finish their coffee. A user could also set an alert when they’re 100 metres from their destination stop helping ensure they alight at the right place, and through integration with Facebook, Twitter and SMS, users now can conveniently let friends and family know their arrival times and destinations directly from the app.

The app is available from the Apple AppStore, and for a limited time is a free download.

Related Content

  • June 11, 2012
    Partnership to provide real-time location sharing while driving
    Mercedes-Benz and Glympse, a mobile technology company that pioneered temporary real-time location sharing, are teaming up to provide real-time location sharing to their drivers by integrating Glympse into the new Mercedes-Benz Digital DriveStyle application, set to launch in the new A-Class in September. Drivers will be able to select a recipient, set a timer, and ‘send a Glympse’ to anyone they choose. The recipient will receive a text or email link, which will show the driver’s real-time location on an i
  • February 3, 2012
    Pioneering new passenger information systems
    Chicago pioneers new passenger information initiatives. By David Crawford
  • April 17, 2013
    Delivering London’s live bus arrival information
    Launched in October 2011, Transport for London’s Countdown real time bus information service has proven extremely popular. The latest research shows that around 830,000 bus journeys made in London each day are informed by live bus arrival information. Building on this success, TfL has developed a new way of delivering live bus arrival information to a range of public locations, such as hospital waiting rooms or shopping centre foyers. This means that real time bus arrival information can be provided to pa
  • February 25, 2016
    Ontario transit operator implements real-time bus tracking
    Oakville Transit in Ontario, Canada has implemented real-time bus tracking technology, a web-based tool that uses GPS to predict bus arrival times. Customers can easily access real-time bus tracking from their computer or smartphone by using the Bus Finder tool online or by downloading the Oakville Transit app available in the iTunes App Store for Apple devices and in Google Play for Android devices. A Track by Text feature allows customers to text their bus stop number to find out when the next bus