East Ayrshire Council

East Ayrshire Council wanted to introduce a robust Real Time Passenger Information system (RTPI) on two of their strategic bus routes. They were looking for a system with proven security and reliability which would allow them to keep tight control of their budget.

The Challenge

In 2008, East Ayrshire Council made a successful funding application for £1.2m to Strathclyde Passenger Transport, a regional transport partnership for the Strathclyde area of western Scotland, to implement Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) on main bus routes within the region.

RTPI encourages people to use and have confidence in public transport. Accurate signage and timetabling, updated in real-time, gives passengers reliable information to help them plan their journey and know they are in the right place.

The system operates via data transmitted between three points, the auto vehicle location unit on the bus, the server at the control centre and the displays at the bus stops. Information about the progress of the bus journey and arrival times at each stop travels between the unit on the vehicle, the server and the on-route signs using GPRS.

The Solution

AECOM was appointed to provide a full management and consultancy service that resulted in the best value for ongoing communications and maintenance costs. They specified a GPRS system with Mobius Networks being nominated as the provider of a Private Mobile Network and infrastructure via Vodafone. The Council also appointed VixACIS, a leading provider of intelligent transport products, to deliver the system.

Communications to each RTPI displays is done through a public GPRS network using SIMs provided by Mobius Networks via the highly reliable Vodafone network.

The Benefits

Additional services thanks to Mobius include:

Real time report monitoring

Fixed IP through Mobile Private Network with no internet access

Detailed billing platform, GEM, that allows East Ayrshire Council to see how much data its SIMs are using in real-time.

By using the expertise of Mobius Networks and Vodafone, East Ayrshire Council were confident they had a reliable partner that was established in RTIG.