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David Bradley · November 18th 04, 01:32 PM posted to uk.transport.london

On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 11:40 +0000 (GMT Standard Time),
(Colin Rosenstiel) wrote:

In article ,
(David Bradley) wrote:

On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 20:59:08 +0000, Neil Williams
wrote:

David Bradley wrote:

The information, to which reference has been made, that would be
really useful is what is happening to any further transport system
that passengers intend to change into next. Thus a display on a bus
on an appropriate route for what is happening for example on main
line rail at Euston ,or the Northern Line at Oval, or Croydon
Tramlink at Addington Village or even another bus route at Camberwell
Green would be very useful to passengers who intended to continue
their journeys via one of those modes.

Perhaps. On smaller networks, though, it strikes me that the easy
solution to bringing disruptions to passenger attention has been
missed. Many buses are fitted with radio equipment, which could be
hooked up to a PA system on the bus for very little money.
Announcements regarding service disruption and similar news could
easily be transmitted to the whole network for no greater cost than it
can at present be transmitted to the driver only.

Hamburg's U-Bahn system has such an "on-board long-line PA" facility,
which is quite well-used to broadcast disruption information to
passengers on its trains. I'm surprised I've never seen it applied to
buses - certainly in London, where "connection" isn't a dirty word like
it is in so many other places.

The problem with any communication system primarily intended for the
driver is that you would require to arrange switching for messages so
that the driver only got the operational ones and the passengers those
intended for them. That would have to be done manually by the driver
(probably not appreciated by either the DfT or the T&GWU) or you would
need some clever recognition system that picked up a code in the
message and did the switching.

The latter option should be quite possible but would, I suspect, not
be a cheap option as a retro-fit on vehicles that were already fiited
with a radio system. You then still have to deal with the bandwidth
issue. A small number of urgent messages (most of which are sent out
as general calls to everyone) represents a very different level of
usage to specific information to individual vehicles on a regular
basis.

At the end of the day, as always is the case in all aspects of life,
you not only have to have the technology to do what you want, but you
also have to have the resources (usually cash) as well.

David Bradley on behalf of a friend

I'm not so sure about that. Speaking from over 25 years working for the
company that made the radios for Tramlink and other PT, distinguishing the
message type is pretty trivial technology probably already incorporated.
I'd be more worried about the voice quality being good enough for PA over
the radio, though.

Croydon Tramlink Control can indeed talk to the passengers on the tram
directly if necessary via the pa as can the Line Controls on the
Underground and as can the major signalling centres to passengers on
DOO trains (it is actually one of the requirements for authority to
operate DOO trains on any route).

The discussion was actually about buses and reinforces the point made
which is that technologically it is all possible BUT it will cost
money and anyone who has been involved in selling any information
solutions will know that selling to those involved in operating buses
is much more difficult than for light rail or the Underground or main
line trains.

The point therefore remains that you have to have the technology
(already exists!) BUT you also have to have the motivation to allocate
the money ('buy-in' is a very apt phrase!). The latter is not very
consistently present across the bus industry.

David Bradley on behalf of a friend

Colin Rosenstiel · November 19th 04, 06:40 AM posted to uk.transport.london

In article ,
(Mrs Redboots) wrote:

Colin Rosenstiel wrote to uk.transport.london on Wed, 17 Nov 2004:

Indeed. I was thinking of long-line PA over the radio rather than
direct within the bus.

Yes, sorry, I wasn't clear - I realised that, but reckoned that if the
technology to do this is expensive, an infrastructure already exists
that could be used.

It's not expensive as such. It's just rather limited in terms of voice
quality.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

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