Websites and apps that have a bus tracker that shows the reg number or fleet number of the vehicles.

[markymark2000]

I dont think First Manchester is tracking yet on Bus Times as I tried looking yesterday infact looking at Bus Times apart from the odd Vantage Bus nothing has tracked on Bus Times since 6/7 June.

They aren't on the bus open data location thing yet.

First have most areas online. Just a few left which included Manchester.
Cornwall, Eastern Counties, Hampshire, Leicester, Potteries, WoE, West Yorkshire, Worcester and York.

 

[Hophead]

Compass Bus's 37 route in Brighton has appeared in recent days. Though, none of their buses are now reporting timekeeping in relation to schedule (something I find more interesting than the vehicle allocated, on the whole).

 

[Ken H]

One big hole in Bustimes is routes that are separate for traffic commissioner purposes, but actually run through. So Skipton shows the 580 to Settle, but no clue that it actually goes through to Lancaster. How that would work in the open data I dont know. This is true for many bus routes.

 

[markymark2000]

One big hole in Bustimes is routes that are separate for traffic commissioner purposes, but actually run through. So Skipton shows the 580 to Settle, but no clue that it actually goes through to Lancaster. How that would work in the open data I dont know. This is true for many bus routes.

It depends on how the operator is providing the data. Stagecoach I know are using their internal schedules (as it shows up on the drivers board) which means that the routes are split and you sometimes find private notes (like on the Skegness 56, you can see a note about picking up the Lincoln mailbag).
Arriva it seems also split the routes. Not found any messages yet though (A few North East routes I found).

Transdev on the other hand, are uploading the data in a more passenger friendly way which seems to show through services (843 is the example I have found). First also seem to be doing longer distance through services (Excel is the example here)

In my opinion, where companies use internal schedules or just the registration timetable, there should be a note put on that services continue through to another area. It's certainly one of the big problems now that wasn't around so much with the Traveline database and I would hope that operators become more passenger friendly with it but I fear that won't be the case.

 

[Boo_]

Well we have 2 months before cut off for all bus routes to have open tracking data posted to offer tracking data to webiste and looking at list on https://data.bus-data.dft.gov.uk/avl/ there a few companies still missing


They should all be offering this data listed here

Bus operator requirements

publish.bus-data.dft.gov.uk

 

[markymark2000]

Well we have 2 months before cut off for all bus routes to have open tracking data posted to offer tracking data to webiste and looking at list on https://data.bus-data.dft.gov.uk/avl/ there a few companies still missing


They should all be offering this data listed here

Bus operator requirements

publish.bus-data.dft.gov.uk

Just one or two missing haha. I am half expecting around 1/2 of bus operators in the UK to not even be on the open data system. It certainly seems so far that it's group operators who are onboard more and independants seem quite far behind in general terms.

I feel like some technical support may be needed to help get the smaller companies onto the open data as it seems to be the ones which are very big locally and if they had to shut down as they couldn't sort out publishing open data, it would leave huge holes in the bus network.

 

[awsnews]

Just one or two missing haha. I am half expecting around 1/2 of bus operators in the UK to not even be on the open data system. It certainly seems so far that it's group operators who are onboard more and independants seem quite far behind in general terms.

I feel like some technical support may be needed to help get the smaller companies onto the open data as it seems to be the ones which are very big locally and if they had to shut down as they couldn't sort out publishing open data, it would leave huge holes in the bus network.

I don't believe the regulations are UK wide, unless the devolved administrations have passed their own legislation

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

I don't believe the regulations are UK wide, unless the devolved administrations have passed their own legislation

Just England at the moment, but I think there is/planned to be a consultation in Scotland

 

[markymark2000]

I don't believe the regulations are UK wide, unless the devolved administrations have passed their own legislation

I've since seen it's England only but even so, there are a lot of companies missing it seems. I can name plenty of English and cross border operators who aren't on there yet (You have to have open data for local buses in England, even if your company is Wales or Scotland)

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

I've since seen it's England only but even so, there are a lot of companies missing it seems. I can name plenty of English and cross border operators who aren't on there yet (You have to have open data for local buses in England, even if your company is Wales or Scotland)

It is not mandatory for timetable data to be published until 31 December 2020, and for location/basic fare data until 7 January 2021

 

[py_megapixel]

It certainly seems so far that it's group operators who are onboard more and independants seem quite far behind in general terms.

In general that seems true, however Stagecoach have absolutely nothing listed at all! Unless I'm missing something...

 

[markymark2000]

It is not mandatory for timetable data to be published until 31 December 2020, and for location/basic fare data until 7 January 2021

Only 2 months. Not long really. Some of the companies that I can list don't even have a website so I can't see opendata being an easy one for them to do. On the open data system, there is only 163 active datasets. Of which, some of these are from the same company as some companies are uploading the data per route group and others are uploading whole depots or areas (There are 30 datasets for High Peak Buses for example). You are looking in the region of 100 companies uploading data. According to Bustimes, there are over 100 operators just in the NorthWest region. I don't even think 1/3rd of companies have done open data yet so that is a lot for them to do in 2 months.

In general that seems true, however Stagecoach have absolutely nothing listed at all! Unless I'm missing something...

Gov datasets for Stagecoach (bus open data link but with the Stagecoach filter enabled)

Browse Timetables Data

data.bus-data.dft.gov.uk

Stagecoach website link to OpenData.

Stagecoach Open Data

Download our Open Source data available to the public, for personal, educational or commercial use. The data on the portal is updated automatically when we update our digital services, for example when we make a change to our schedules.

www.stagecoachbus.com

 

[py_megapixel]

Browse Timetables Data

data.bus-data.dft.gov.uk

Stagecoach Open Data

Download our Open Source data available to the public, for personal, educational or commercial use. The data on the portal is updated automatically when we update our digital services, for example when we make a change to our schedules.

www.stagecoachbus.com

How bizzarre! I couldn't find any results for Stagecoach at all!

Never mind...

 

[Boo_]

So long as the bus Company uses a GPS and mobile Data kitted out EMT. There should be no issue as the likes of ticketer/ transmach will do the work for them. as it would off be on the ticket system anyway

on other note it is cool how you can see a map with all the routes on open maps. on https://data.bus-data.dft.gov.uk

 

[markymark2000]

So long as the bus Company uses a GPS and mobile Data kitted out EMT. There should be no issue as the likes of ticketer/ transmach will do the work for them. as it would off be on the ticket system anyway

That's fine for the AVL, not so fine for the timetable side of things.

Do the old Wayfarers (the ones Arriva had) enable GPS tracking and that stuff? I know a few operators still using those.

 

[Boo_]

That's fine for the AVL, not so fine for the timetable side of things.

Do the old Wayfarers (the ones Arriva had) enable GPS tracking and that stuff? I know a few operators still using those.

I know Wayfarer 6 will work with Wayfarer 5 backend. but looking at http://www.transmach.co.uk/wayfarertgx150.html. does not have GPS kit or data uplink apart from radio link

 

[GusB]

So long as the bus Company uses a GPS and mobile Data kitted out EMT. There should be no issue as the likes of ticketer/ transmach will do the work for them. as it would off be on the ticket system anyway

on other note it is cool how you can see a map with all the routes on open maps. on https://data.bus-data.dft.gov.uk

Define EMT please, and do bear in mind our requirements regarding the use of jargon.

 

[borage]

I’d guess EMT is a typo for ETM (electronic ticket machine)?

 

[gka472l]

The Bustimes site how has the ability to just show an individual fleet on the map, for example here's Arriva Merseyside https://bustimes.org/operators/arriva-merseyside/map

 

[Hophead]

East Sussex community operator Cuckmere Buses has appeared on the map today. Mind you, as I type, the entire Brighton & Hove fleet is absent (no such problem on their own tracker, though).

 

[Statto]

Speaking of live bus maps, have Arriva got rid of there live map, i found it useful for timing buses, as it had if they were on time or late once you clicked on a bus?

 

[duncombec]

I thought I saw further upthread that someone involved in bustimes.org was a member here, or if not, perhaps someone else knows. I've had cause to wonder about how Bustimes shows the tracking data as to which journeys the service operated on.
Out bus watching on Tuesday, I saw a bus be pulled off one service to cover an otherwise missing journey on a less frequent service. It tracks it has having started both journeys. On another service which has 20-or-so minutes layover, buses are often tracked "leaving twice" - once shortly after they arrive, once shortly before (or, being Arriva, after!) they are due to leave. It appears the tracking feed is from when drivers enter the journey details on the ticket machine, rather than necessary anything to do with the timetabled time, and in that latter case, the second departure is when the driver restarts the engine after layover.
If anyone wouldn't mind confirming, that would make my deductions an awful lot easier, especially on services where one bus arrives just as, or at the same time as, another bus leaves (as is the case with one 10-minute service that has a 9 minute layover)!

Also, I presume it is intentional that you can access the timetable tab from the list of vehicles used on a service that particular day, but not the vehicle tab from the timetable, to avoid confusing the "normal people" (as it is, of course, first and foremost a public site)?

Thanks for anyone's input!

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

The Stagecoach data source seems to have changed today (presumably to the Bus Open Data Service), with location updates every 20 seconds(!). Vast improvement - although it doesn't show buses when out of service like the Stagecoach feed did.

 

[MrTurbostar170]

I've noticed recently there's been a few operators and routes missing on bus times.org and Google Maps. I'm assuming it's because of the traveline site mostly closing recently, but it proved difficult to plan a day out across Suffolk easily. Examples of missing routes can be seen if you use Bury St Edmunds as a location.

 

[markymark2000]

I've noticed recently there's been a few operators and routes missing on bus times.org and Google Maps. I'm assuming it's because of the traveline site mostly closing recently, but it proved difficult to plan a day out across Suffolk easily. Examples of missing routes can be seen if you use Bury St Edmunds as a location.

The local traveline sites I believe will not have anything to do with it as all that data was taken from the main database. I notice that routes missing are from a variety of operators who, as of yet, don't use the Open Data timetables so it's all missing on the Traveline database. Did Suffolk perhaps not update the database or was their data corrupted somehow so possibly all the services got lost? I don't know. It's certainly something which needs reporting though.

 

[F Great Eastern]

There are certainly operators on the site that appeared until about a week or so ago, some of which had live tracking, which have now vanished in East Anglia which is rather strange indeed.

I have heard a rumour some operators didn't want to appear on bustimes.org so have been removed. Whether there is any truth in that though I don't know for sure.

 

[markymark2000]

There are certainly operators on the site that appeared until about a week or so ago, some of which had live tracking, which have now vanished in East Anglia which is rather strange indeed.

I have heard a rumour some operators didn't want to appear on bustimes.org so have been removed. Whether there is any truth in that though I don't know for sure.

Which operators have asked to be removed? That really goes against the overall BODS system if operators can just ask for developers to not use the data.

 

[F Great Eastern]

Which operators have asked to be removed? That really goes against the overall BODS system if operators can just ask for developers to not use the data.

I do not think it is fair for me to comment or mention names on what is just a rumour at this stage, since it might well be incorrect.

 

[nesw]

As a requirement of

The Public Service Vehicles (Open Data) (England) Regulations 2020​

Bus open data policy

The Bus Open Data Service (BODS) provides bus timetable, vehicle location and fares data for every local bus service in England.

www.gov.uk

operators are obligated to provide their timetable, location and fares data the Bus Open Data Service (BODS). This is where developers websites/apps source the information.

Timetables have to be published by 31 December 2020, location and basic fares from 7 January 2021, complex fares by 2023. The project is very much at transition stage with data being added each day. It’s expected that operators using the Omnibus Systems software will have their timetables added shortly.

The open data is expected to replace the Traveline services next year and as data originates from the operators it should improve the information available.

So, in simple terms operators will appear on websites such as Bustimes and others. All these rumours ...

 

[markymark2000]

As far as I know, all operators who have published their AVL data on the BODs system, are showing on bustimes. There are occasions where the data expires though or is inactive, maybe check the BODS AVL area and check if the companies stuff is active officially. https://data.bus-data.dft.gov.uk/avl/