This paper outlines the features of Countdown, the Automatic Vehicle Information and Passenger Information at Bus Stops (AVL/PIBS) system on London Transport's No. 18 bus route, reviews key results from studies of the system, and interprets some of the findings. Route 18 runs from Kings Cross via Baker Street to Sudbury in west London. Each bus on the route is located about twice a minute with great precision, using microwave transmissions from roadside beacons that are detected by on-bus receivers. Estimates of times to arrival, within the next 20 minutes, are displayed at bus stops. The monitoring studies had the following functions: (1) assessment of Countdown's component reliability and system reliability and system availability; (2) estimation of the accuracy of the information displayed at bus stops (which was usually correct within five minutes); (3) close analysis of No. 18 bus service reliability, which was not improved during the evaluation period; (4) ergonomic aspects of the information displays; (5) passenger behaviour at bus stops; (6) passenger perceptions and attitudes; (7) passenger valuation of Countdown (which was high, of order 25p per trip); and (8) estimation of effects on patronage and revenue generation, which were disappointingly small.
Samenvatting