Critical Appraisal of Web-Based Passenger Information Systems

Passenger information is vital for developing a user-friendly public transportation system. Websites are rapidly gaining popularity for public transport information dissemination, particularly due to their anytime-anywhere availability and their suitability for the multimodal applications and multilingual interface. Internet-based Passenger Information Systems (PIS), therefore, have become common in developed countries. The development of PIS for urban transport in India however, is at an experimental stage with very few operational deployments. This paper attempts to examine the current state-of-the-art features in Web-based passenger information systems in India and abroad, while critically evaluating the existing sources of public transport information in Ahmedabad as a case study. Ahmedabad, like several other Indian cities, has fixed-route regular bus services in conjunction with a recently-introduced bus rapid transit (BRT) system. The study compares the information content in printed transit timetables, Google Transit, and websites of the transit agencies, with the spatial dataset of public transport network prepared by integrating information from several sources. The results highlight the issues pertaining to accuracy, coverage, and timeliness of information contents available in developing countries, requiring innovative technological interventions to meet the growing information needs of commuters. Introduction Public transport information systems form an integral part of any modern public transport deployment. Relevant information is vital for developing a user-friendly public transportation system (O’Flaherty 1997), and its availability may profoundly influence the use of public transport (Iles 2005). An effective public transport information system may enable potential users to plan multimodal journeys, minimize wait times at stations, and increase overall satisfaction with the service. Critical Appraisal of Web-Based Passenger Information Systems Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 17, No. 3, 2014 52 The information regarding the schedules and routes of public transport services is mostly fragmented and scattered across various sources (Zografos et al. 2009), which not only inconveniences the transit users but also discourages modal shift from private to public transport modes. Printed transit timetables, occasionally with network maps, are published by public transport operators and are the most commonly-available form of information at the disposal of transit users. However, difficulty in understanding such timetables, due to very large information content, limited circulation, and slow process of updates, have become a barrier in the use of such information (Bae 1995). Cain (2007) investigated the extent to which the lack of ability to use printed transit information materials correctly for trip planning may be a hindrance to transit use. The study concluded that only 52.5 percent of transit users were able to plan their journeys correctly using printed information. The problem is further compounded when multimodal trips are to be planned (Caulfield 2007; Tam and Lam 2005). Telematics-based public transport information systems, therefore, may complement the conventional media, such as timetables and network maps, by providing reliable and near real-time data. Websites are rapidly gaining popularity among passengers, particularly due to their anytime-anywhere availability and their suitability for multimodal applications and multilingual interface. Web-based Passenger Information Systems (PIS) are userfriendly, easily accessible, and timely and have proved to be advantageous in both pre-trip and en-route information (Infopolis Consortium Inc. 1998; TRB 2003b). India’s National Urban Transport Policy (Ministry of Urban Development 2006) contemplates the establishment of a multimodal public transport system providing seamless travel across different modes in Indian cities. To combat the conventional “service for the poor” image, the policy has placed significant emphasis on modernization of urban transport infrastructure, improved passenger information systems, and use of intelligent transport systems for monitoring and control, apart from several other recommendations. The last decade alone witnessed introduction of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems, complementing the existing regular bus services in several Indian cities. A PIS has been identified as an important component of a range of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) contemplated as part of BRT projects, and thereby in-terminal and on-board PIS have been deployed. However, given the increasing requirement for multimodal travel, Webbased PIS also have become essential. This paper attempts to review the current state-of-the-art features in Web-based PIS in India and abroad, while critically evaluating existing sources of public transport information in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat as a case study. The second section reviews studies on design and development of Web-based PIS, mostly in developed countries, along with the studies intended for evaluating such PIS implementations. The third section elaborates on experimental as well as operational PIS in India, and the fourth section identifies and critically examines various sources of public transport information in Ahmedabad. The final section presents conclusions and identifies issues to be addressed in Indian cities for an effective Web-based PIS. Critical Appraisal of Web-Based Passenger Information Systems Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 17, No. 3, 2014 53 Web-Based PIS: Global Scenario Casey et al. (2000) identified three categories of transit information, each with a unique set of information and different preferred modes of information dissemination: (1) pretrip information, (2) in-terminal or way-side information, and (3) on-board information. Pre-trip information, which includes general service information, itinerary planning, realtime information, and multimodal traveler information, is required prior to commencement of the journey. Caulfield (2007) concludes that websites are found to be particularly useful for meeting information requirements at the pre-trip planning stage. The integration of transit information with spatial information has benefited immensely from the developments in Internet Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Peng and Huang (2000) discussed the taxonomy of Web-based transit information systems and observed that most transit websites provided Web-browsing and text-search capabilities with static graphic links to transit networks but lacked Internet GIS capabilities. They proposed a three-tier architecture comprising a Web browser, a Web server, and an application server composed of a map server, a network analysis server, and a database server. The proposed transit information system based on Internet-GIS with an interactive map interface provided information on transit routes, schedules, and trip itinerary planning. Cherry et al. (2006) emphasized the need for map-based input of trip origin and destination in transit trip planners apart from manually entering the text and selecting a landmark from a drop-down box. They developed a prototype of an itinerary planner using an ArcIMS for the Sun Tran bus network in Tucson, Arizona, with an interactive map to point and click on a location for the origin and destination. Gou (2011) confirmed that a schematic transit map indeed affects the path choices of transit users in London Underground subway. Web-based PIS have been found advantageous in situations where multiple modes and multiple agencies are involved. Zografos and Androutsopoulos (2008) proposed a multimodal PIS called ENOSIS for urban and interurban trips, particularly to provide information on intermediate transfers between systems with different modes and geographic coverage. It provided an interface to external information systems for receiving real-time alerts from transit service providers, which are communicated to users by the Travel Life Cycle Manager (TLCM) that tracks a trip during its life cycle for a given trip itinerary. The primary issue involving multimodal transport information is the involvement of multiple agencies. Jung et al. (2001) proposed architecture for an Intelligent Transport Support System (ITSS) for acquisition, integration, and dissemination of information over the Internet from multiple information sources. Wang and Kampke (2006) emphasized the need for a decentralized traveler information system ensuring privacy and control on the data held by multiple transit service providers. Peng and Kim (2008) addressed the problems encountered by commuters when the journey involves more than one transit agency, which causes problems involving interoperability and data exchange across transit agencies. They proposed XML-based Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) standards for data exchange across multiple agencies. The system, however, requires commitment of transit service providers in implementing such standards while designing PIS. Transit information can be of a static nature, such as route maps, schedules, and fares, which are updated only once in a while, or it may be dynamic, such as route delays and Critical Appraisal of Web-Based Passenger Information Systems Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 17, No. 3, 2014 54 real-time arrival estimates that are continuously updated (Casey et al. 2000). In recent years, the incorporation of Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) technologies in public transport systems has resulted in an increase in real-time passenger information systems. The Transportation Research Board (2003a) notes that 88 transit agencies in the United States had operational AVL systems, and 142 were planning such systems by the end of year 2000. GPS has emerged as a common positioning technology owing to low infrastructure cost, easy deployment, and reasonably high level of accuracy. Although real-time passenger information is largely offered at wayside or in-terminal stages, transit websites are increasingly being used for the purpose. Peng and Huang (2000) conceptualized an interface for displaying bus locations using AVL data. Hiinnikainen et al. (2001) proposed architecture for a PIS for public transport services, which, in addition to other features, also incorporated real-time information dissemination to the personal mobile terminals using the telecommunication network. TRB (2003a) provided an exhaustive review of various aspects of real-time bus arrival information systems, including case studies of Regional Transportation District, Denver; King County Metro, Seattle; TriCounty Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, Portland; San Luis Obispo Transit; Acadia National Park—Island Explorer Bus System; and London Bus Services Limited. Websites are also useful in providing additional information necessary for making the trip, fulfilling the very purpose for which the trips are made. Watkins et al. (2010) developed a search tool for local restaurants, shopping, parks and other amenities based on transit availability from the user’s origin. Farag and Lyons (2012) agree that public transport information should be marketed simultaneously with public transport use. The proliferation of Web-based PIS in several cities across the globe has enthused researchers in evaluating the performance of such deployments. Quantification of the benefits of Web-based PIS, such as an increase in transit ridership and improvement in user ability to use transit systems, is difficult, and often subjective. Eriksson et al. (2007) developed an evaluation tool based on an E-S-QUAL scale to assess the quality of public transport information on the Internet. The study analysed 58 responses to a questionnaire to quantify the quality of websites. Grotenhuis et al. (2007) studied the quality of integrated multimodal travel information in public transport and its role in time and effort savings of the customers. Politis et al. (2010) evaluated real-time bus passenger information system from the user point of view in Thessaloniki, Greece. Cheng (2011) investigated passenger perceptions of electronic service quality (e-SQ) delivery through the Taiwan High Speed Rail’s (THSR) website to examine the quality of transportation information as well as website services. Websites have become a common medium of information dissemination for transit agencies in developed countries, resulting in a large number of operational Web-based transit information systems. The Infopolis-2 (1998) project prepared an inventory of more than 300 websites of public transit service providers in Europe, covering different modes such as rail, bus, metro, tram, ferry, and coach, and with varying functionalities. It further adds that out of 27 websites that responded to their survey, nine supported more than three transit modes. Casey (1999) identified that 163 transit agencies in the U.S. that already had or planned to implement an automated traveler information system. Radin et al. (2002) investigated transit trip planners provided by 30 public transport service providers Critical Appraisal of Web-Based Passenger Information Systems Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 17, No. 3, 2014 55 in the U.S., detailing the inputs, outputs, and advanced features such as multimodal and multilingual support, offered by these agencies. Transport Direct, a multimodal journey planner for Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland), which became operational in December 2004, offers national journey planning across all modes (Maher 2008). The journey plans returned by Transport Direct are actually composite plans formed via queries to several different regional journey planners, some of which are created and maintained by third-party organizations. Journey plan responses are received in form of JourneyWeb XML standard, an XML protocol allowing the exchange of journey planning queries and answers (DfT 2013). Traveline Travel Services (2010) in the UK, BayernInfo (2013) in Germany, Kings Metro Transit Service (King County 2013) in Seattle, Bay Area Rapid Transit (San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transport District 2013), and 511 (Metropolitan Transportation Commission 2013) in the San Francisco Bay Area are few other successful deployments of Web-based PIS. In recent years, Google Transit (Google Maps–Transit 2013), supported by its very-high-resolution satellite imagery and cartographic-quality maps (Google Maps 2013), has become the de facto choice in providing transit information. As of December 2012, more than 500 cities all over the world have adopted Google Transit (Google Maps–Transit 2013). Web-based PIS have evolved over the past decade with the integration of Internet GIS (Peng and Huang, 2000; Cherry et al. 2006) to multimodal (Zografos and Androutsopoulos 2008) and multiagency systems (Wang and Kampke 2006, Peng and Kim 2008). The information content also has advanced from simple static information to real-time information (Peng and Huang 2000, Hiinnikainen et al 2001) and further integration with information regarding the purpose of trip (Watkins et al. 2010). MacDonald et al. (2006) claim that despite tremendous growth in traffic and traveler information services in the past decade, issues pertaining to information accuracy and reliability, multimodal support, timeliness of information, delivery of information, and service continuity across national borders present opportunities for future research in Europe. Similar concerns were raised by the Transportation Research Board (TRB 2003b) for transit information systems in the U.S. The quality of data used by traveler information systems needs to be improved with respect to level of detail, coverage, accuracy, and maintenance. Traveler information from multiple sources, including information on traffic and travel time, needs to be integrated, with the aim of providing more customer-focused and personalized information along with the real-time information. PIS in India The development of PIS for urban transport in India is at an experimental stage with very few operational deployments, as discussed herein. Experimental Systems Reddy (2002) developed an intelligent transport system in a GIS environment and proposed an ATIS for Hyderabad. The system was developed on ESRI’s ArcView software and provided detailed transportand tourist-related information. Ballaji et al. (2003) proposed a public transport information system for Chennai city using ESRI’s ArcView software. Yoganand (2004) proposed a multimodal ATIS for Delhi Metro using ESRI’s MapControl Critical Appraisal of Web-Based Passenger Information Systems Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 17, No. 3, 2014 56 in Visual Basic. The application provided information about transport facilities in Delhi in addition to enabling the shortest path computation between given locations based on road length. A Web-based system was also developed using HTML and JavaScript with basic features such as pan, zoom, identify, and attribute search. Singh (2007) proposed a three-tier client-server architecture for an ATIS for developing countries for pre-trip information dissemination and also proposed design guidelines pertaining to organization and management of data used for information dissemination. Kasturia and Verma (2010) developed a multi-objective transit PIS for the regular bus service in Thane city using TransCAD. Operational Systems PIS has been planned as a part of BRT projects in several cities in India. Delhi deployed a Web-based PIS, developed by Delhi Integrated Multi Modal Transit System Ltd. (DIMTS 2010), which enabled passengers to track buses (both AC and non-AC) on BRT routes in Delhi. It provided route-wise expected arrival time of buses while displaying the location of buses on Google Maps. In Bangalore, the private firm MapUnity (2013) developed a traffic information system in collaboration with Bangalore Traffic Police and a private mobile service provider. It has also developed Urban Transport Information Systems for a number of other Indian cities, such as Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Delhi. This system uses several types of input, such as teledensity data from a mobile telecom tower network, video images from police cameras, and location-tracking of buses and taxis, to create real-time knowledge of traffic conditions in the cities. These are made available through the mobile telecom network to city residents and are also accessible online. The website also offers determination of route between user-specified origin and destination stations for regular bus services. Google Transit (2013) has identified nine Indian cities—Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Kolkata, and Thane—to publish transit information online providing transit routes between an origin-destination pair. In a similar initiative, the Indian Bus Route Mapping Project (2013) has developed a transit trip planner for Chennai city using map data from OpenStreetMaps and a collaborative effort in mapping public transport network of the city. The efforts in development of Web-based PIS have gained momentum in Indian cities in recent years. The information content in such websites, however, presents challenges pertaining to reliability and completeness, which needs to be reviewed to improve customer acceptance. Public Transport Information in Ahmedabad To assess the quality of passenger information available in Indian cities, Ahmedabad has been selected as a case study for detailed analysis. The city is the fifth largest city in India, as per Census of India 2011, and operates regular fixed-route bus service in conjunction with BRT service, thereby representing the public transportation systems of most of the metropolitan cities in India. The BRT service in Ahmedabad has been widely acclaimed in India and abroad (AMC 2013) and is being considered as a model for other Indian cities as well. Furthermore, as the city is also covered by Google Transit, Ahmedabad offers the most appropriate case study for analyzing the quality of passenger information in Indian cities. Critical Appraisal of Web-Based Passenger Information Systems Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 17, No. 3, 2014 57 Ahmedabad is the largest city of the state of Gujarat, located in the western part of India. The population of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, which was 3,520,085 in 2001, has already surpassed the 50 million mark, per provisional estimates released by Census of India 2011. The city is an established manufacturing hub and a center of trade and commerce. The public transport demand of the city is serviced by regular fixed-route bus services operated by Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) and BRT service operated by Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd. (AJL). AMTS operates more than 150 routes in Ahmedabad, covering nearly 500 km road length. BRT, which was introduced in the city in December 2009, is currently operational on 10 lines, with more than 100 BRT stops. The public transit information in Ahmedabad is fragmented and scattered, which inconveniences transit users in planning multimodal journeys. The information regarding AMTS can be obtained from printed transit timetables and Google Transit. The printed transit timetables published by AMTS provide general service information, including a list of routes and major stops and a schedule of departure from origin stop. An updated list of routes and a text-based transit trip planner have also been provided on the website (AMTS 2013). Transit timetables are published in the native language, Gujarati. Google Transit, on the other hand, provides a map-based itinerary planner for AMTS-operated bus service. The information source for BRT is primarily its website (AMC 2013) and the in-terminal passenger information system. The website provides general service information, including routes, timetables, and stops, and the terminals provide transit network maps and real-time information on bus arrivals. The quality of information with respect to level of detail, coverage, accuracy, and maintenance has been recognized as an important aspect for the success of Web-based PIS (TRB 2003b). To assess the quality of spatial and non-spatial contents of existing sources of information, a reference set of data was first prepared. The road network of Ahmedabad was mapped at 1:10,000 scale using Indian remote sensing data acquired by a Cartosat-1 PAN sensor fused with IRS P6 LISS-IV multispectral data. The spatial data of the bus stops of AMTS were created by integrating information from multiple sources such as printed timetables, Google Maps, published city atlases and guide-maps, and GPS. The bus routes were mapped based on the sequence of stops listed in the printed timetable of AMTS, and BRT stop locations were obtained from the website of Ahmedabad BRT and handheld GPS. Thus, a reference transport network dataset of the study area comprising all roads as links and the end-points of such links as nodes, including the stops of AMTS and BRT, was prepared for the assessment of quality of passenger transport information in Ahmedabad. AMTS Printed Transit Timetables The printed transit timetables published by AMTS include 1,025 bus stops out of the 1,533 bus stops identified and mapped on the reference transport network of the study area. The stops were compared with the actual number of bus stops marked on the reference transport network. It was observed that only 40 percent of the bus stops were listed in any given route, thereby providing incomplete transit information to the users, as shown in Figure 1. It is evident that as many as 50 percent of the bus routes have more than 50 bus stops. Incorporation of all bus stops in printed timetables along with their Critical Appraisal of Web-Based Passenger Information Systems Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 17, No. 3, 2014 58 corresponding schedules will result in large booklets, which will not be handy for customers. Moreover, the production costs of such large timetables will rise, thereby making them unviable for distribution at the nominal fees being charged at present.