North Shore buses scheduled by satellite June 18, 2004

Knowing when the bus is arriving, and sailing through a green light will become part of the public transport experience for bus users in North Shore City.

Infrastructure Auckland has granted the North Shore City Council $1.75m for global positioning satellite (GPS) technology to be used on bus services in North Shore City and Rodney.

The technology will be applied to "real-time" electronic signs at bus stops, telling passengers when the next bus will arrive. It will also be used for traffic signal pre-emption, giving buses green light priority at intersections.

The Infrastructure Auckland grant will cover almost half the $3.9 million cost of the project, with North Shore City Council and Transfund providing the rest.

"This is great news for our bus users," North Shore City's works and environment committee chairperson Joel Cayford says. "It will make buses faster and more reliable, and take the angst out of waiting for a bus, wondering when it will arrive."

"The GPS technology will link in with whole raft of measures we are taking in North Shore City to make travelling by bus faster and more convenient," he says.

"They include introducing bus and transit lanes on busy corridors and upgrading suburban stations. We are determined to improve public transport so more people want to use buses."

The GPS measures will be part of the planned Northern Busway system. Electronic signs will be at major stations such as Albany and Constellation Dve, and suburban interchanges such as Takapuna and Glenfield.

The system, which should be in place by mid-2005, will be integrated with the GPS system already in place in Auckland City.

ENDS

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