Tuesday 25 October 2011

Journey planner to make best use of public transport

EVER wondered the best way of getting from Blarney to Bundoran or from Listowel to Letterkenny without jumping in the car?

The National Transport Authority (NTA) is rolling out a nationwide journey planner which will provide door-to-door information for all journeys across the country, making best use of every mode of public transport or — where applicable — on foot.

According to the NTA, the National Intermodal Journey Planner can be used online, on mobile phones and as an app.

"The journey planner will integrate static public transport information with real-time information for customers on the go," a spokeswoman said.

"The planner will work in such a way that customers will perceive the public transport network as an integrated network rather than a fragmented compilation of different operators and modes."

It said the planner will support tourism and the promotion of Ireland as a tourist destination. The spokeswoman said it will allow visitors to plan public transport trips in advance and to plan an itinerary for the duration of their visit.

"The service will be similar to that provided by other transport authorities such as Transport for London."

The contract for developing the planner has gone to a German company, Mentz Datenverarbeitung.

It said data from Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann and the rail services will imported directly into the system, while data from smaller operators will be edited into the system by the Irish-based operators.

Testing of the journey planning system is expected to begin early next year.

The planner and real-time service will be available at www.transportforireland.ie.

The NTA said the website and phone app should be ready by March.

Irish Examiner

www.bpsplanningconsultants.ie

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