Orienteer wrote:

A lot of Japanese buses do this, plus a display of the stop name. In Kyoto
routes which go to tourist spots also repeat in English.

Really?
I was in Kyoto about one year ago and, as far as I recall, English
announcements and displays were only on the subway. Inside the buses
only Kanji signs were displayed, and the drivers' calls were a bit hard
to understand. Was there a recent improvement, btw?

Over here in Germany, city buses displaying or announcing the next stop
have become quite common over the last few years, too, and it's working
quite well.
I suppose that getting out-of-sync problem will be resolved when
GPS-based telematic systems are introduced more widely.

"Joachim Harter" wrote in message
...
Orienteer wrote:

A lot of Japanese buses do this, plus a display of the stop name. In
Kyoto
routes which go to tourist spots also repeat in English.

Really?
I was in Kyoto about one year ago and, as far as I recall, English
announcements and displays were only on the subway. Inside the buses
only Kanji signs were displayed, and the drivers' calls were a bit hard
to understand. Was there a recent improvement, btw?

No, they've had it for some time, at least three years. And the clear
announcements are recorded in a woman's voice, not made by the driver. What
is new is the introduction of low floor buses, and some semi-automatic and
fully automatic transmissions. While the customer service is relatively
advanced, with electro-mechanical displays of when the next bus is coming on
most bus stops, the bus technology itself is way behind Europe's, it seems.

Joachim Harter wrote in message ...
Over here in Germany, city buses displaying or announcing the next stop
have become quite common over the last few years, too, and it's working
quite well.
I suppose that getting out-of-sync problem will be resolved when
GPS-based telematic systems are introduced more widely.

GPS doesn't work very well if at all in built up city centres. I can't see
how it would help.

B2003

On 19 Feb 2004, Boltar wrote:

Joachim Harter wrote in message ...

I suppose that getting out-of-sync problem will be resolved when
GPS-based telematic systems are introduced more widely.

GPS doesn't work very well if at all in built up city centres. I can't
see how it would help.

How do in-car navigation systems work? However it is, one would assume it
would also work in buses.

tom

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