Skip to main content

Melbourne buses to get bus tracking system

Public Transport Victoria (PTV) in Australia has opted for Smartrak as the preferred supplier to operate the bus tracking system (BTS) for metropolitan buses. PTV chief executive officer Mark Wild said that the award of this contract is another step forward in providing better and real-time information, as well as improved bus services for our customers. It also paves the way for the provision of real time bus tracking information via smartphone apps, online and PTV’s customer contact centre. The new
March 31, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
RSSPublic Transport Victoria (PTV) in Australia has opted for Smartrak as the preferred supplier to operate the bus tracking system (BTS) for metropolitan buses.

PTV chief executive officer Mark Wild said that the award of this contract is another step forward in providing better and real-time information, as well as improved bus services for our customers. It also paves the way for the provision of real time bus tracking information via smartphone apps, online and PTV’s customer contact centre.

The new bus tracking system will be rolled out to all bus depots by the end of the 2014 financial year, with customer benefits progressively implemented once the system roll-out is completed. Smartrak will operate the bus tracking system for five years, with an option to extend its term for up to five years.

“The metropolitan bus network carries 119.3 million passengers a year and the roll-out of the bus tracking system to the rest of the bus fleet will give customers greater confidence to use the bus network,” Mr Wild said.

“Smartrak has a proven track record in providing accurate and reliable real-time public transport solutions to help organisations like PTV increase the performance of passenger information systems, which is fantastic news for PTV’s customers.

He said that, once in operation, the system will provide accurate, detailed and timely service information available shortly, leading to improved coordination at transport interchanges helping customers to interchange between trains, trams and buses, enhanced operational management capabilities for PTV and bus operators, as well as helping to support decision making for bus service improvements, such as where bus lanes or priority traffic light signals could improve services.

Related Content

  • Online tool aids accident prevention
    February 18, 2015
    A new online tool from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an interactive calculator called the Motor Vehicle PICCS (Prioritizing Interventions and Cost Calculator for States), provides a tool to help state decision makers prioritise and select from a suite of 12 effective motor vehicle injury prevention interventions. Accessible to the public, the tool helps each of the 50 states identify the best mix of safety devices to implement based on their cost-effectiveness and their capacity t
  • EV charging will require increased investment in cyber security systems
    April 18, 2012
    The technology architecture associated with electric vehicle (EV) charging is continuing to evolve as utilities and other key players in the industry ecosystem identify business requirements and risks associated with adding significant new demands on the electrical grid. One of the most pressing challenges is related to securing financial transactions and end-to-end communications throughout the EV charging infrastructure, and a recent report from Pike Research indicates that these areas will be the focus o
  • Tolling system interoperability gains momentum
    August 14, 2012
    Efforts to advance national interoperability for tolling systems are gaining momentum, with one protocol promoted by a key operator group emerging as a candidate to form the basis for full AVI interoperability, Tim McGuckin writes. Fuelled by a growing awareness and acceptance of standards-based solutions, the US toll community is quickening towards the goal of interoperability between toll systems across the US. Over 20 years since the advent of electronic toll collection (ETC), key elements are falling in
  • PTV Group provides software for the next European transport model
    February 4, 2016
    PTV is to provide its modelling software PTV Visum and associated professional services as part of the task to develop the European TRIMODE project, a comprehensive multimodal transport model that covers in detail all freight and passenger transport movements across Europe. The project also includes the economic structures that generate this transport demand and the energy and environmental impacts that it creates. TRIMODE is intended to become a robust, fully operational and integrated modelling system