A regional real-time passenger information (RTPI) system has been upgraded to allow all bus and tram operators to feed in live journey information.

Nottingham City Council has led on a programme of improvement over the past four years to digital bus stop displays, which provide up-to-the-minute transport information for passengers.

The project has also introduced new digital wayfinder ‘totems’ across the city centre and within the grounds of the two universities, as well as new displays close to tram stops that show live bus times.

To complement the new-look displays and totems, the RTPI system that covers the wider region, taking in Derby, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, has been upgraded. It now includes a data broker element that more easily enables all bus and tram operators to feed live journey information in and out of the displays.

This followed the council being successful in applying for a £4m grant through the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund back in 2019.

The four local councils then established the D2N2 Real Time Passenger Information partnership to team up with local bus and tram operators.

The main aim was to provide as much live public transport information as possible to connect services from different communities. This not only included live bus times, but also an ability to provide disruption information such as journey cancellations or short-notice diversions.

The wider region currently has around 4,150 displays in variety of styles, shapes and sizes, of which around 1,650 are in Nottingham. This is the highest number outside London and provides approximately 125 million local bus passenger trips a year with ‘next bus’ detail in real time.

Previously, the primary focus has been on bus service information, but the local councils have recognised the importance of integrating tram and rail information, particularly at locations where passengers can change between all three.

The full list of work now carried out to improve the network includes:

• Many older displays being replaced with new versions that are more technologically advanced and can provide a wider variety of information to passengers. These TFT (Thin Film Transistor) displays have low energy consumption, provide sharper graphics which will make it easier for some people with sight impairments to read and they can provide added detail such as operator logos. Points of interest will soon be applied to include key sites like universities, hospitals and sports venues.
• A solar powered e-link display is being trialled at the bus stop outside Nottingham College, on Canal Street
• Radio antennae replaced with built-in SIM cards that operate on a more reliable 4G network, which will provide a more consistent connection for sharing live public transport information
• Digital journey-planning, touchscreen ‘totems’ being installed at key interchanges including Nottingham railway station, across the city centre and both Nottingham Trent University and University of Nottingham campuses.
• Upgrading a number of back-office systems that deliver live journey information by gathering, storing, processing, and sending out real-time bus and tram data
• Implementing a ‘data broker and prediction engine’ service that is available to all bus operators. This will take in vehicle location data which the prediction service then uses, along with historical data around journey times and traffic conditions, to predict departure times at each bus stop through a set of complex algorithms.
• Introducing a single content management system to replace the current patchwork system, which will allow for more sophisticated and efficient disruption information and messaging to be delivered

These upgrades will allow the councils to share service data with third-party partners who have the technology to provide online or mobile app journey planning, and make information as open and easily available as possible.

Councillor Neghat Khan, Leader of Nottingham City Council and Executive Member for Strategic Regeneration, Transport and Communications, said: “These display and back-office upgrades are designed to increase passenger confidence in the real-time information we provide, as well as wider bus reliability.

“Through increased public transport use, the project is supporting the sustainable growth of our communities and significantly contributes to the council’s carbon-neutral plans and local air quality objectives.

“We believe this will make journey planning simpler and more accessible, while improving the management of bus services and reducing the amount of hardware maintenance needed.”