Transport for London (TfL) has awarded a contract worth £160m over 10 years for the replacement of its existing automatic vehicle location system (iBus) to INIT. As part of the contract, INIT will provide both the replacement of on-board hardware and the back-office services for all buses and trams in the TfL fleet. The current system, operated by Trapeze, has been in operation across London buses for 17 years, and on the city’s trams for two.
The next generation of iBus will provide new service control tools for operators, and will integrate with the current voice radio, payments and performance management systems. It will also build on the abilities of the current system, with reliability and accuracy of real-time passenger information to be enhanced by including disruption and diversion information both on and off the bus, and available to customers via the bus customer information boards and audio-visual announcements, as well as on TfL’s Go app.
London’s Deputy Mayor for Transport Seb Dance said: “Improving London’s transport network and making public transport more attractive for Londoners is a core aim of the Mayor’s and key to his commitment to have 80% of journeys made using public transport by 2040. This next iteration of the iBus technology will make journeys more reliable and give customers more accurate and up-to-date travel information, enabling Londoners to travel with ease, and helping to build a better, greener city for everyone.”
Rebecca Bissell, TfL’s Director of Information Technology, added: “We are very pleased to have awarded the contract for the next generation of iBus to INIT. Since being introduced, the iBus system has transformed our customers’ journeys, and particularly helped people with visual or hearing impairments, by making it easier to navigate London. The solutions provided by INIT for the next generation of iBus will help us build on this success as we continue to enhance the safety and reliability of our service through improved real-time information for our operators and customers.”
INIT Managing Director Jens Mullak commented: “We are very proud to be selected by TfL as the supplier for the next generation of the iBus system. This confirms that our long-term technology strategy has been positively recognised. The new system will have a modular open technology platform that is scalable and accommodates TfL’s future development ambitions. We are delighted that TfL joins our existing customer group of more than 1,100 public transport organisations worldwide. Our team is looking forward to working with TfL to deliver a world-class on-bus hardware and back office solution for London.”
The current iBus system supports over 8,000 buses operating on around 700 routes and serving over 19,000 bus stops across Greater London. The system also supports around 80 depots operated by eight bus operators, and 42 bus operator service control centres.
