Centro: Live Travel Map
Early in 2009, West Midlands Transport Authority Centro unveiled Live Travel Map to people living in the region via the Network West Midlands website. This advanced mapping technology from Kizoom harnesses Centro's existing real-time data to deliver easy-to-use multimodal public transport information via the web.
Background
Centro, the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive and Authority, promotes and develops public transport across the West Midlands. Its aim is to transform public transport so that passengers have a world class public transport system provided by a best in class organisation.
Network West Midlands is the name that connects all public transport in the West Midlands metropolitan area. This includes Birmingham, Dudley, Sandwell, Coventry, Walsall, Solihull and Wolverhampton.
The challenge
As part of its initiative to encourage wider use of all public transport across the West Midlands by providing an easy to use, integrated public transport system with accurate, up-to-date information, Centro was introduced to Live Travel Map by Kizoom, a trusted technology partner since 2006. As one of the country's most progressive and visionary transport authorities, Centro was looking for multimodal solutions to help passengers make the most of the huge investment made in the rail, bus and tram network across Network West Midlands. It was clear that accurate, dependable passenger information was essential in driving uptake; moreover, real-time information for all public transport services at the point of need was seen as imperative.
The solution
Having implemented the highly successful Live Departures to Mobile services on Network West Midlands in 2006, Kizoom's Live Travel Map service was seen as a natural complement to Centro's portfolio of innovative passenger information services.
A map-based technology which harnesses Centro's existing real-time data, Live Travel Map (www.netwmtravelmap.com) was introduced by Centro in January 2009. It delivers an easy-to-use map-based interface which presents the public with route maps, live departures and scheduled timetables. Future developments will also include information on any problems and delays for bus, rail and Metro departures via a web browser.
The interface is simple and intuitive; bus stations are cleverly presented as a single entity on the map with departures split out by stand. The system also details helpful features such as links straight from a specified stop to interchange maps, to Transport Direct for journey planning and to walkit.com to encourage sustainable travel to and from bus, rail and Metro stops.
Results
Live Travel Map allows Centro to give passengers a truly easy-to-use, extensive and up-to-date portfolio of public transport information which is free at the point of use. In the first few months since it was introduced, it has registered over 740,000 journey enquiries relating 84% to bus, 11% to rail and 5% to tram use.
"Kizoom's Live Travel Map is a true innovation in passenger information service," said Pete Bond, Bus and Highways Development Manager at Centro.
"The key to driving uptake of multimodal public transport is in giving passengers control over their journeys and Live Travel Map does just that. It helps people to make critical decisions on linking bus to rail, for example, visually aiding them to plan the true time and feasibility of getting from A to B."