Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) plans to implement a new real-time passenger information (RTPI) and traffic management system to improve travel information and network efficiency. The system will provide multi-modal real-time travel updates and journey planning to help customers make more informed travel choices. It will also implement bus priority at traffic signals and network monitoring to improve reliability of bus and road journeys. An open data platform and market engagement were conducted to help design an integrated architectural approach using open standards. Benefits will be monitored through online engagement and journey time data analysis.

1. David Hytch
Information Systems Director
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM)
Transport for Greater Manchester’s Plans for
a new RTPI & Traffic Management System
Traditional development and delivery

2. Personalisation and architecture
Travel Information &
Network Efficiency
David Hytch
Information Systems Director
Transport for Greater Manchester

3. •10 district councils
•493 square miles
•2.69m residents
•1m passenger journeys per
weekday
•1m international leisure
visitors a year
•10 Million trees
Greater Manchester

4. Greater Manchester economy
Greater Manchester:
• is the economic powerhouse of the North
• accounts for around 40% of Gross Value Added (GVA) in the North
West
• generates £47 billion of GVA on an annual basis (Higher than the GVA
of the North East (£41 billion), West Yorkshire (£39 billion) and
Merseyside (£20 billion)

5. Transport governance
10 district councils AGMA/GMCA TfGM Committee

6. Bus services
• 220m passenger journeys a year
• 45 bus operators
• Bus use static
• 12500 bus stops

7. Rail services
•25m journeys a year
•45% growth in last five years
•21,000 passengers in am peak
•109 stations

8. Metrolink
•Over 22m passenger
journeys a year
•100kms by 2016
•96 trams
•Owned by TfGM
•Operated by RATP Ltd

9. Highways
• 2nd largest UTC unit in country
• 9,200km of roads in GM
• 2,200 traffic signals
• Speeding cameras
• 45,000 speeding offenders
• 19,000 fines
• 4,000 summons
• 22,000 driver improvement courses
• On target for a 40% reduction in KSI road
casualties

10. Promoting travel choices
• Walking and cycling
• Improved cycle lanes and infrastructure
across GM
• Free adult cycle training delivered
• 10 cycle hubs in key locations
• Business travel planning
• Electric vehicle infrastructure
• Car sharing scheme

12. Local Sustainable Transport Fund Vision
“Let’s get to work, bringing people, jobs and
enterprise together with a well-connected,
integrated transport system that is better,
faster and greener.”

13. Why?
Stimulate development of applications that create
better informed travellers and smarter journey
choices.

15. Current Issues
• Customers unable to access real-time
information and updates about their
journeys
• Ability to plan journeys does not
currently incorporate all modes e.g.
car, cycling – does not give informed
choices
• Limited visibility of how the whole
transport network is performing
• Limited ability to react to incidents
and disruptions affecting the network

16. Background
• Design and Deliver distinct, technology led initiatives
to embed longer-term behaviour change through:
o real time and dynamic passenger information
o dynamic network interventions
o priority to late running buses at traffic signals
• Getting more customers to work, education,
healthcare and leisure in a more sustainable and
efficient manner

17. Criteria
Get more customers using sustainable travel options to access employment,
education and leisure by providing:
• Passenger centric
• Multi modal, multi operator, multi channel passenger information
• Improved selection of travel
• Accessible transport
• Systems that are easy to use
• Comprehensive data and information with integrity
• Best in class implementation and operation
• Predictive traffic management
• Improved road journey time reliability

18. Key Challenges
• Large number of complex data sets
to provide multi-modal, multi-
operator solution
• Deliver architecture that is flexible
enough to manage data across the
whole transport network in the
available timescales
• Obtaining appropriate real-time
data feeds from large number of
different bus operators in a
deregulated market
• Traditional supply and procurement
models

19. Customer Experience – Travel Information
• Customer able to make intelligent travel
decision-making before their journey and
track their progress during it, re-planning
if necessary
• Truly multi-modal, covering all travel
choices including cycling and walking
• Simple, accessible and intuitive to use
• Transparent information
• Personalised content - relevant to them
and their journey
• Less reliance on hoping for the best,
planning for the worst

20. Customer Experience – Network Efficiency
• More predictable and
reliable journey times
on the highway,
particularly at peak
times – affecting
customers such as car
owners, freight, PT
operators, cyclists etc.
• More reliable bus
journeys on key routes
due to signal priority
for late running buses
• Less contingency being
built in to journeys as a
result giving people
more time
Passive
Sensor
Network
Network Oversight Facility
Situation Managed

21. Network Efficiency - Bus Priority
AVL feed to
centralised Automated
Vehicle Management
System
Deliver Bus Priority to
Traffic Signals
Bus Priority Request to
UTC system

22. Architectural Design Principles
• Scalable and flexible
• Based upon open industry standards where possible
• Building a capability to deliver post LSTF
• Look ahead to future cities
• Integration of public transport, highway and active travel
options
• Join up with key stakeholders:

23. Business Context
Support economic
prosperity &
environmental
sustainability
Obtain
funding
Promote
Excellence
TfGM
Business
Exec
Funding
Body (e.g.
DfT)
Assist Local
Community
Assist
Business
Community
Provide
Services
<<includes>>
Business
Intelligence
<<includes>>
Suppliers
Local
Community
Business
Community
TfGM
EmployeesProvide
Training
<<includes>>
Improve
Services
<<includes>>
<<extends>>
<<includes>>
<<includes>>
Journey
Planning
Highway
Control
Alerts/
Info
Network
Visibility
<<includes>>
Static
network
info
Static network
perturbations
Dynamic
network
info
<<inclues>>
<<includes>>
<<includes>>
Monitor
Supplier
Performance
<<includes>>
Two key areas for
data systems:
• Network
Visibility
• Provide
Services

24. Note: The boxes coloured
pink identify those required
for Stage 1 – Network
Visibility; those in yellow are
for Stage 2 – Provision of
Transport Services.
Conceptual View of System Design

25. Open Data
• Open Data platform launched in March – including new real-time feeds which will
continue to be built upon through rest of LSTF:
• Real-time API for Metroshuttle City Centre buses
• Real-time API for car journey times on A56 and A6
• Real-time API car park availability
• Weekly GTFS data feed of PT timetable data
• Routes to the Future - Innovation Challenge for developers using open data feeds–
Approximately 70 developers registered to attend.

26. Open Data
HyperIsland
50 MSc students from around
the world
Challenge to reduce car needs by 2033
Solutions, all different, all using Open Data, smart
technology
Tracking services
New Approach to park and ride and community
Augmented biological data
Internet of things and people

27. Market Sounding
• Undertook Market Sounding late 2012 with 36 suppliers
• Key Findings:
o No one supplier can deliver full solution
o Open interfaces and open standards should be used wherever
possible
o Good data and data ownership is critical

28. Benefits

29. Monitoring
• Exploit the ‘on-line’ nature of the interaction
with the customer to easily observe the
success of delivery, via website statistics
• Use online surveys to ask about changes in behaviour
and satisfaction
• Monitor number of data requests from 3rd parties
• Use before and after data for journey times, flows etc
on highway to determine the effects
• Measure punctuality and reliability of bus service
journey times before and after highway and bus
priority measures

30. Thank you
David Hytch
Information Systems Director
david.hytch@tfgm.com
0161 244 1023
07826 918 177