How accurate is real-time passenger information?

Real-time passenger information (RTPI) of public transport is one of the most used features in Passenger apps. It helps people to take decisions on their journeys as traditional timetables are not updated when disruptions occur. Making predictions about estimated departure times is, however, not easy and requires complex algorithms with multiple data sources.

We gather passenger feedback through our apps on a daily basis. One common complaint is related to buses running late. Does it mean that real-time information is not accurate? This question led us to take a closer look at the SIRI-SM feeds. SIRI stands for Service Interface for Real-time Information while SM is the service for Stop Monitoring. This feed provides the estimated arrival and departure times of a vehicle at a stop.

There are several SIRI-SM providers in the UK market and we have already integrated several of them into our Passenger platform. In this paper, we compare three different SIRI-SM providers for three bus operators in the UK.

Drop us a line if you’d like us to send you our SIRI-SM white paper.