The Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced today that it would be working with public transport operators on a trial to display real-time bus arrival information at high-traffic bus stops.
According to LTA's press release, commuters are expected to benefit by being able to "better manage waiting time and transfers, as well as make more informed travel decisions".
20 bus stops in the Orchard Road area and another 10 in two HDB towns will be outfitted with LED information panels. More panels will be introduced at other bus stops around the city and regional centres based on public feedback on the trial.
LTA spokesperson, Miss Naleeza Ebrahim told AsiaOne that these real-time updates would be transmitted via the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network from the bus operator's system to the display panels.
Another initiative that LTA hopes will improve the commuter experience is the Electronic Bus Journey Planner that will allow users to plan their travel routes more effectively. LTA will provide funding to TransitLink for the development of this system to be hosted on the Transitlink website, and will cover routes of both SBS Transit and SMRT Buses.
Trials for both projects are slated to begin in July 2007.
A total of $5 million has been set aside for the development of these initiatives, which LTA is confident will cover the full costs of implementation, and will not translate into higher fares for consumers.
Miss Ng Yiqing, 20, an undergraduate, feels that the real-time bus arrival times would be helpful for her commutes from campus to town, but is concerned that these display panels could end up being targets for vandals.
However, Mr Tan Kaichin, who takes the bus daily to work, is skeptical about the benefits of the bus arrival information panels.
"I've waited for 25 minutes sometimes for a bus, and the terminal is just next to my bus stop."
"If the bus doesn't come, then it doesn't come."
The LTA hopes to tweak both systems based on feedback received from commuters. LTA's hotline: 1800-CALL LTA (1800-2255 582)
