Information is the key [public transport systems]

The potential of public transport information management systems is widely recognised, and the enabling technologies are increasingly available and capable. This paper considers the policies for realising this potential through the approach adopted towards information. A tenet of the paper is that as much attention should be given to institutional and commercial matters as to the technical questions. The approach suggested by the paper revolves around realising the financial value of information. This provides a means, in the first instance, of making a strong financial case to establish public transport information systems (PTISs), but then also to ensure long-term growth and success. An important concept advanced by the paper is the establishment of a `core information infrastructure´, to which value-added information services may be attached. The paper is based on the experience of the author and of MVA Systematica in working on a number of PTIS-related projects, both in the UK and overseas