Real-time bus location and arrival information system

Abstract

Bus arrival and departure information is widely accessible specially provided by the local public bus services. Using a sophisticated GPS technology, bus companies are able to track their buses and let users know the estimated time of arrival. Users nowadays are depending more on the information, but the convenience is only available for public bus services in the city. In this work, a bus arrival information system was designed by taking advantage of the characteristics of the service routes in rural areas and shuttle bus service in educational institutions. Instead of relying solely on GPS data and complex computational algorithms to calculate the estimated time of arrival of the bus, this system used RFID to update the latest bus stop location that allowed users to have an overview of the real time bus location. GPS was used to provide the real-time location of the moving bus, thanks to the Google Map. The developed system supported participatory contributions where the system depended on the users to update any unpredictable on-road issues and share the information to others. A web application (Web App) was designed with interactive interface as a platform to access all the information. The developed system was tested in UTHM campus-Parit Raja town shuttle bus. This new facility is expected to significantly encourage students to use public transport and improve their travelling experiences.