Skip to main content

Real-time travel information to roll out in South East Queensland

The South East Queensland government, Australia, is set to roll out real time travel information across South East Queensland from next month. Announcing the new technology, Transport and Main Roads Minister, Scott Emerson, said: “This new technology is all part of our strong plan for a brighter future to improve public transport for Queenslanders and boost the local economy. Real-time technology enables passengers to know exactly where their bus is in the morning which could mean enough time for an extr
October 20, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
The South East Queensland government, Australia, is set to roll out real time travel information across South East Queensland from next month.

Announcing the new technology, Transport and Main Roads Minister, Scott Emerson, said: “This new technology is all part of our strong plan for a brighter future to improve public transport for Queenslanders and boost the local economy. Real-time technology enables passengers to know exactly where their bus is in the morning which could mean enough time for an extra cup of coffee with the family before leaving the house. When finishing work for the day passengers will be able tell how far away their train is, avoiding extra time waiting at the station.”

The project uses GPS on buses and ferries, combined with mobile communications on each vehicle, to track the exact location and movements of services, with arrival times updated every 30 seconds on the 376 TransLink website.

Emerson said that previous real-time trials have proven too expensive, but working with partner 378 Cubic Transportation Systems has enabled the state to deliver good value for Queensland taxpayers.

Cubic Australasian managing director Tom Walker said the new technology delivered a number of behind the-scenes efficiencies set to benefit TransLink passengers.

“This technology allows vehicles to download data away from the depot, meaning customers will be able to view their Go card travel histories within 30 minutes,” he said.

Related Content

  • February 3, 2012
    Receiving real time passenger information in Finland
    David Crawford sees lively prospects for Finnish innovation
  • October 18, 2012
    Success of Transport for London’s real time bus information service
    Since its launch a year ago, the UK’s Transport for London (TfL) Countdown real time bus information service has dealt with more than 620 million requests and, according to TfL, the service has made millions of journeys easier, dealing with an average of 1.6 million requests via the internet and smart phones and 36,000 requests via text each day. TfL has also recently completed the installation of 2,500 new and improved bus information roadside signs across the capital. These provide clearer amber text on
  • January 20, 2012
    Home based real time travel information drives reduction in car use
    David Crawford investigates a new approach to discouraging car use - the 'kitchen as travel centre'. ITS technology working together with UK planning legislation is driving an innovative 'kitchen as travel centre' approach to home design which is boosting public transport as an alternative to car use. The combination is already proving powerful enough to assuage environmentalist opposition to major urban developments. It is also being seen as a way of delivering wider social and community benefits inside an
  • December 12, 2014
    Cubic completes Sydney Opal Card rollout early
    Cubic Transportation Systems has completed the roll out of Sydney’s Opal contactless smartcard ticketing system across all transport modes and connecting multiple operators and commenced operation and maintenance of the Opal system under the ten-year services agreement that is part of the original contract. The contract to build the new electronic ticketing system (ETS) – later branded as the Opal Card – was awarded to the Cubic-led Pearl consortium in 2010.