Crowd sourcing means achieving better travel information

Information is no longer the sole concern of the transport providers. It’s a challenge and an opportunity to integrate user -generated content

A first generation real-time bus stop information system in Leicester. More complex ways of communicating with passengers are now arriving

A first generation real-time bus stop information system in Leicester. More complex ways of communicating with passengers are now arriving

Peter Stoner studied Town & Country Planning and Transport Economics. He has been interested in public transport information for many years while employed by the northern transport authorities of Cumbria, Tyne and Wear, and Northumberland, and latterly by Traveline. He has been working with electronic journey planners from their first use in the UK for bus services. On Twitter, Peter provides the @traveline tweets and relaxes by trying to improve the OpenStreetMap of North Tyneside.

Peter Stoner studied Town & Country Planning and Transport Economics. He has been interested in public transport information for many years while employed by the northern transport authorities of Cumbria, Tyne and Wear, and Northumberland, and latterly by Traveline. He has been working with electronic journey planners from their first use in the UK for bus services. On Twitter, Peter provides the @traveline tweets and relaxes by trying to improve the OpenStreetMap of North Tyneside.

Foursquare

Foursquare

Web games like Foursquare and Chromaroma are incorporating the ability of people to share their location and ‘add colour to their journey’. It means that there is potentially greater engagement with their experience as travellers and maybe a chance for operators to become involved

Web games like Foursquare and Chromaroma are incorporating the ability of people to share their location and ‘add colour to their journey’. It means that there is potentially greater engagement with their experience as travellers and maybe a chance for operators to become involved

Interchanges like Meadowhall can be made more accessible by detailed mapping based on local knowledge

Interchanges like Meadowhall can be made more accessible by detailed mapping based on local knowledge

Will Twitter’s contribution to the information revolution do away with the need for journalists? Probably not. And in a similar way, allowing “the crowd” to contribute an immediate  commentary on the transport system could open up new opportunities for transport professionals.  They will be vital intermediaries in making sense of a much richer stream of information than we have today. As someone directly concerned with the passenger transport information revolution,...