Journey planner helps ensure a smooth ride (CT)

[Barry Drive]

From The Canberra Times online

BY MYLES PETERSON

People can now use the internet to plan their bus journeys after ACTION made digital timetable data available through Google Transit.

But Australian National University students who created a smartphone app designed to track and provide information about ACTION buses, their routes and timetables have questioned why it took so long.

Territory and Municipal Services Minister Simon Corbell acknowledged the students - including Imagine team members Andrew Clapham and Zakaria Bouguettaya - when announcing the new service this week.

''I have met on a number of occasions with the Imagine Team ... and am sure they will welcome the news of access to accurate ACTION service data,'' he said.

''The Google Transit journey planner is the latest tool to help ACTION customers use the public transport system with greater ease ... It has been important that the Government work closely with Google to ensure that the data used in the planner tool was reliable and accurate.''

Google Transit is a free service and can be accessed by a range of PCs and mobile devices. The service will allow bus travellers to look up the best route for any given journey.

''The ACT Government recognises that making information about bus travel as accessible and easy to use as possible is an essential way to retain and attract passengers, thereby growing the bus network,'' the minister said.

Mr Bouguettaya congratulated the ACT Government on making the data available, but questioned why it took so long.

''I was a bit disappointed. We met with [Minister Corbell and TAMS] in March. They both told us a couple of weeks and it's been more than a couple of months,'' Mr Bouguettaya said.

The Imagine Team developed their Android smartphone app last summer, but it was less functional than intended because ACTION refused to make available data critical to its application.

While the new data will significantly improve Imagine's MyBus app, the students still want access to ACTION's real-time GPS-based location data.

''Real-time transit feeds, that's basically seeing where the buses are. They do have that data now ... and we would like access to it as well,'' Mr Bouguettaya said.

[Barry Drive]

''Real-time transit feeds, that's basically seeing where the buses are. They do have that data now ... and we would like access to it as well,'' Mr Bouguettaya said.

And now, at serious risk to my sanity:

Yes, ACTION does track the location of buses via GPS. But no, this data is NOT (repeat NOT) a real-time transit feed. It only tracks buses without any reference to route, shift or timetable information.

Secondly, that tracking system is currently solely for the purpose of maintaining driver and passenger safety and is not appropriate for it to be publically released.

The Real-time passenger information system which the ACT Government is developing will do the job of matching the bus movement data to the schedules and it is that (and only that) which will be publically released.

Mr Bouguettaya and other Imagine Team members: cool your heels - you will get the data when it is in a form that is usable and approved by ACTION. And yes, I do know what I'm talking about. Perhaps it's time you stopped hurling insults.

[Barry Drive]

So much for my hope of no more insult hurling.

Private message:

I am not going to reply to you or dignify you with an answer. I dont know what crawled up your ass and died, but as I mentioned before, stop trying to contact us- if my answers thus far arent good enough for you, I suggest you do a cavity check, and go help the community instead of whining about people who are helping.

Someone doesn't like having their reality questioned.

For the record, I would have been happy to help out but my efforts have been rejected and ridiculed at every step.

[shneyney123]

So much for my hope of no more insult hurling.

Private message:

Quote from: shneyney123 on October 09, 2011, 02:34:32 AM
I am not going to reply to you or dignify you with an answer. I dont know what crawled up your ass and died, but as I mentioned before, stop trying to contact us- if my answers thus far arent good enough for you, I suggest you do a cavity check, and go help the community instead of whining about people who are helping.

Someone doesn't like having their reality questioned.

Lol!

For the record, I would have been happy to help out but my efforts have been rejected and ridiculed at every step.

I wonder why...

[Barry Drive]

So do I. Enlighten me. Why do you resort to insults and name calling instead of answering a few inoffensive questions? It won't kill you.

And if you believe any of my information is wrong, then "help the community" by explaining where.

[Barry Drive]

To flog a dead horse - newspaper report that MyBus 2.0 / Qpay have turned off the Bitcoin payment option for MyWay recharges.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/act-news/bitcoin-not-biting-for-canberra-commuters-on-action-buses-20150509-1mr3wq.html

The Bitcoin thing always seemed like a niche market, so no real surprise that it didn't take off.

Anyway, I haven't used MyBus2.0 in a long time, for various reasons. (Is anyone still using it?) Last time I tried it, the so-called real time tracking was showing wild guesses. So I've stuck with TransitTimes+ - which does most things you could ask for in a transit app.