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.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Priority boosts ridership and cuts congestion
    May 4, 2016
    Transit priority is proving a win-win in Europe and Australia. David Crawford reports. Technology that integrates with the Australian-originated Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System (SCATS) is driving bus signal priority and performance analysis initiatives on both sides of the world; in its homeland, with a major deployment in 2015, and in the capital of the Republic of Ireland.
  • Lime goes app-less on scooters
    March 30, 2021
    Regular riders can more quickly start a scooter ride, micromobility firm says 
  • TfL under pressure as motorcycle deaths rise
    March 8, 2016
    According to a recent report by the London Assembly Transport Committee report into motorcycle safety, Easy Rider: Improving motorcycle safety on London roads, around 17 per cent of those injured on London’s roads and 24 per cent of serious casualties are motorcyclists, despite this mode accounting for one percent of traffic. After a period of decline it appears the number of motorcyclist casualties in London is growing again. In 2010, 4,337 motorcyclists were injured on London’s roads. By 2014, this had gr
  • London’s mayor launches bus safety programme
    February 2, 2016
    The Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) have launched a world-leading programme to drive major improvements in safety across London's bus network, creating a six-point programme to reduce collisions and improve safety. The programme will bring together the newest technology, training, incentives, support, reporting and transparency right across the network, contributing to TfL's work towards meeting the mayor's target of halving the number of people killed or seriously injured on the capital's