Page 4329 - Week 10 - Thursday, 22 September 2011
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transport and the more likely they are to use public transport because they can plan their journeys with certainty.
This project is just another way in which the Labor government is taking practical and concrete steps to deliver a better public transport system for all Canberrans. As I have said before, a better public transport system benefits all Canberrans. It benefits motorists as well as the people who choose to use public transport. The more people use public transport, the less congestion on our roads; the more efficient our road network, the more efficient our public transport system overall.
MR SPEAKER: Dr Bourke, a supplementary.
DR BOURKE: Minister, how will the real-time information be made available to bus users and will the system include options other than visual display boards, such as apps for mobile phones?
MR CORBELL: I thank Dr Bourke for the supplementary. The project is looking at a wide range of applications for the real-time data that will be secured from buses as part of this project. It is planned that we will have the traditional overhead displays, similar to those provided in airports or indeed at train stations around the country, installed at all interchanges and other major stops. Information contained on these displays will list things such as arrival times, whether the bus that is coming is wheelchair accessible and, importantly, whether the bus is fitted with a bike rack so that, again, patrons can plan their journeys and know what services are available to them in terms of the relevant bus that is servicing their route.
But we will also be looking at other applications for this data. The project includes exploration of the provision of this data obviously via the internet, as well as through mobile phone applications, SMS or text messaging systems, and also through information available from Canberra Connect.
We also expect that suburban bus stop signs will be updated and will provide the bus stop number so that passengers can identify their location and receive up-to-date arrival times. In fact, whilst this sounds like a fairly obvious step to take, it is not something that has been attempted to date in ensuring that each bus stop in Canberra has its own unique number identifier. By providing a unique number identifier for each bus stop in Canberra, we can make sure that people can identify where they are in relation to the route service and can therefore identify how far away that route service is from them, how long it will take to reach them and whether or not it is running on time.
The government intends to make the bus arrival data available to the community through open source arrangements, and this will enable both individuals and organisations the opportunity to use this data in their own way.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Coe, a supplementary.
MR COE: Minister, you said:
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