Real time travel information-one year in the life of a real time system

The MATTISSE (Midlands Advanced Transport Telematics Information Services and Systems in Europe) system serves the population of the West Midlands and Leicester. The MATTISSE system was developed as part of the QUARTET Plus project from 1994 to 1998. The system was designed to form part of an Integrated Transport Environment (ITE) and became operational at the conclusion of the European Project in 1998. The MATTISSE system disseminates information in real time across the Regional Network and is designed to address the needs of all forms of transport and since 1998 has been managed and further developed by the MATTISSE Consortium. The MATTISSE Consortium comprises the seven West Midland Local Authorities and Leicester City and County Councils. The Consortium is a unique entity bound by legal agreement. In this paper, we hope to show of the reality of operating and sustaining a real time travel information system by highlighting the technical, operational and institutional problems to be solved in delivering a service that everyone wants but doesn´t necessarily want to pay for