Transit Information, Cool Toys and Business Questions
By Mark Foss
At 5:00 a.m. daily I log into a CAD/AVL system. As the software boots up, two windows appear. One is the computer-aided dispatch software (CAD) the other window is the automated vehicle locator (AVL) software. The AVL window displays a map of the transit service area. The AVL tracks buses using a combination of data drawn from the schedule, odometer and signpost transmitters on select bus stop poles. It is a relatively old system. But it’s still very cool; and I rely on it daily.
Little triangle-shaped icons representing buses appear on the map. The icons are color coded to show which buses are on time, which buses are late and which buses are early. Each icon has text indicating route, run and schedule performance. Normally, these icons march along pre-highlighted routes indicating where the buses are. However, some anomalies occur. Sometimes an icon turns black, turns sideways and quits moving. That indicates the tracking isn’t working — at least for that bus. This could happen because a bus is off route or the tracking information isn’t transmitting for some other reason. In this event, determining the location of a bus would require direct radio communication, a field supervisor or information from another bus driver. Eventually we will have an AVL system with GPS. Reliability should improve remarkably.
I recently purchased an Android smart phone. I’ve downloaded an application called OneBusAway that can help me determine when the next bus is scheduled to arrive at a given location. The data the app uses is derived from King County Metro tracking data — the same data I use. OneBusAway recently added Pierce Transit real-time data to its system. The app works differently than the AVL software I use. With the app, I use my current location to find a bus stop, tap on the stop and get information about the next bus. The display shows the route number, predicted arrival time, the bus status (early, late, on time) and the number of minutes until the bus arrives. Of course, my toys are better. But it is still really cool to get bus information delivered to my phone.
Potential benefits of similar applications are enormous. In January 2010, King County Metro hosted a workshop for app developers. About 50 people attended the event. King County Metro and TriMet (Portland, Ore.) were on the discussion panel. The workshop clearly demonstrated demand for transit agency generated data. Third-party use of transit data isn’t new. MyBus.org, an ITS Research Program of University of Washington, has been working with this data for a long time. TriMet has been providing MyBus.org with data since 2000. TriMet also now has a web page for developers working on transit-related apps. Demand from app developers is growing. But how should transit agencies respond?
Developers want to move with the speed of the market. Transit agencies move with the speed of a government agency. The data developed by transit agencies is public but it isn’t without cost. Should agencies charge? If so, how much? What is the downstream benefit to the transit agencies? Can agencies enhance in-house expertise by working with developers? Should agencies have some control (influence) over how the data is used commercially?
It is hard to tell what standards to apply. From my perspective as a non-technical, but proficient computer user, I want to see applications that are easy to use and deliver value. As a transit professional I would like to see our customers get quality information delivered efficiently. I am excited about applications like OneBusAway. However, I have concerns. First, I think agencies should hire industry professionals that can put business practices in place to safeguard agency interests and ensure, at a minimum, cost-neutral delivery of the data to private developers. Second, universal standards might make it easier for developers to create apps. And transit customers across the country could use a familiar app when traveling. Finally, I am concerned that information services are delivered realistically — no hype. It might sound like a “Murphy†truism but when we depend on our systems most — during inclement weather, for example — failures are most acute. Multiple sources of information can help. Transparency about what to expect would also help avert a backlash, if things don’t go well.
Tomorrow, I’ll log into the system. Sooner or later one of the icons will turn sideways, turn black and stop moving. Hello, Murphy.
Mark Foss has more than 24 years experience working for King County Metro Transit. His experience includes work as a bus operator, special ridership coordinator in accessible services and 1st line transit supervisor. Currently, he works as a communications coordinator in the transit control center (TCC). Contact him via LinkedIn.
May 5th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
FYI, nearly all third party developers use the General Transit Feed (formerly known as Google Transit Feed) format for static schedule information. As for real-time data, very few agencies publish that info anyways, so there isn’t an agreed-upon standard.
And NO! Transit agencies should not charge for providing data. In fact they should be REQUIRED to do so. A lot of people are very interested in mass transit and want to help it get better. For the agencies that do publish data, especially those that do so with unfettered access, developers can make apps which help the transit agency. Just take a look at http://www.city-go-round.com to see what I mean.