INIT onboard computer to go on all London buses
INIT Innovations in Transportation has been awarded a contract for the delivery of a new technology system for London’s buses. The transport tech company is providing onboard, back office and support services for TfL.
INIT is to provide an onboard computer (OBU) and ancillary devices for all TfL buses. The equipment will be used to help manage operations on more than 8,000 buses running around 700 bus routes and serving over 19,000 bus stops across Greater London. The existing system, which is the current Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system for the London bus network will be replaced under this new contract. The new system is expected to enhance the reliability of services and deliver high-quality customer information.
The system has been designed to evolve over time as customers’ needs and technology trends evolve, allowing flexibility to add modules without the need to redesign existing core solutions. INIT’s solution is horizontally scalable, meaning it can be made to be the correct size for every customer. Near real-time data processing for operational performance measures can be enabled with it and it features a data broker and open APIs for real-time passenger information. It is built to Information Technology for Public Transport (ITxPT) standards to enable flexible vehicle architecture.
This solution is the culmination of more than six years’ focus to develop an extremely powerful open Fleet Management platform that includes a rich selection of customisable tools and services that may be consumed either in the cloud or in a conventional environment.
“The new system will have a modular open technology platform that is scalable and accommodates TfL’s future development ambitions” – Jens Mullak, INIT’s MD
Jens Mullak, INIT’s MD, said: “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.”