Supporting operators amid driver shortages with RTI

UK public transport app and website provider, Passenger has unveiled a series of new features using up-to-the-minute information from multiple sources to help operators overcome challenges brought on by industry-wide staff shortages.

Travellers using Passenger’s Premium apps and websites can now see when bus times are impacted by late-running or cancelled services, with expected arrival times viewable for each segment of their journey. Individual cancelled buses can now also be removed from journey plans and departure boards by operators, making Passenger’s offering the most accurate journey planning solution on the market.

Tom Quay, CEO at Passenger commented: “With staff shortages causing issues for many public transport operators, it is crucial for the industry to support one another and continue upholding the aims of the National Bus Strategy. The shortages have exacerbated an existing concern around the reliability of public transport services – so producing accurate data has become more important than ever before.”

In addition to removing cancelled services and updating expected arrival times for vehicles, Passenger’s new technology also helps passengers make informed travel decisions by showing warnings to users when delays may impact their journey.

“We’ve combined multiple data streams to ensure operators are giving passengers up-to-the-minute travel information with our new features. For example, our apps and websites cross-reference real-time information from stop-monitoring data, so travellers can see ‘expected’ arrival times and avoid seeing services that are no longer running.

These new updates form an ongoing process at Passenger to relieve operator pressures and inspire more people to opt for public transport as a first choice travel option.”

Passenger’s new features form part of its core Premium app and website package offerings for public transport operators across the UK.