1. STREAM A
Julie Williams
Chief Executive
Traveline Information Limited (TIL)
Open Data Futures:
A Traveline Perspective

2. Open Data Futures:
A Traveline Perspective
Julie Williams
Chief Executive, Traveline Information Limited

3. Traveline Information Limited (TIL)
Open Data:
The Traveline Perspective
Objectives:
To promote public transport passenger growth and enable the delivery of high
quality mobility information across a mix of channels in a way that represents
best value to our stakeholders.
Values:
Customer service Respect for Stakeholder views
Value for money Not for profit but trading to cover costs
Innovation Accessibility of information
Open data and collaborative working Sustainability
Efficiency

4. Traveline is Changing
Open Data:
The Traveline Perspective
New TIL Board :
ALBUM Mark Fowles (Chair)
PTEG John Henkel
ATCO Andrew Varley
Department for Transport Nick Illsley
CPT Steven Salmon
ATOC Chris Scoggins, NRE
Passenger Focus David Sidebottom
First Group Nick Vane
Stagecoach Bob Montgomery
Arriva Kevin Hawkins
Go Ahead Martin Dean
TIL Julie Williams (Chief Executive)

5. TIL Channels
Open Data:
The Traveline Perspective
National Channels
• 0871 200 22 33 call plan
• 84268 SMS service
• NextBuses.mobi
• NextBuses API
• Traveline National Dataset (TNDS)
• Data provider to Transport Direct
Regional Traveline branded Channels
• Regional journey planners
• Call centres delivering on 0871 200 22 33
• Data creation / data build

6. Channel Usage (excludes Transport Direct)
Open Data:
The Traveline Perspective
Channel Annual Usage Unit Charge to User
Net Cost
to TIL
Calls 1.9 million Single call, one or many journey enquiries 10 ppm -£400,000
SMS 2 million Single text, single stop enquiry Free or 25p -£36,000
Web 39 million
Single timetable or journey plan enquiries,
multiple enquiries per visitor
Free 0
.mobi 4.7 million Single stop enquiry Free £3,500
API 30 million Single stop enquiry Free to a limit £26,000
TNDS 400 users Free £15,000

7. TIL Open Data Channels: NextBuses API
Open Data:
The Traveline Perspective
• 3 million + enquiries per month, showing a 25% growth year on year
• Connections to 45 third party systems ; 35 real time and 10 scheduled data
• Delivers blended scheduled and live departures from stop for the whole UK
• Output via a single API using siri sm format
• Live since 2009 but with restricted third party use until April 2012 when it became
open data
• Released under Open Government License, free to user for 90% of users
• High volume users charged at cost over a free to user limit

8. TIL Open Data Channels: Traveline National Dataset
Open Data:
The Traveline Perspective
• Beta TNDS produced in house in 2011 to prove technical feasibility
• Funding approved and 5 year contract let in autumn 2011
• All stops and routes for all VOSA registered public transport services in the UK
• Announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement 2011, with the NextBuses API
and Rail data, as one of the three government Open Data releases for April 2012
• Delivered on time and to budget in April 2012
• Weekly datasets from 12 regions in TransXchange (TXC) 2.1 format
• Imported into one national database
• Quality checking and reporting
• Weekly output of single national dataset in a single TXC 2.1 format

9. TIL Open Data Applications
Open Data:
The Traveline Perspective
• Integration into existing travel applications: Traveline regions, PTEs,
National Express, Google, Nokia…
• New applications: Web services and apps; First Group, Bus Checker, Bus
Scout, Moovit…
• Accessibility studies : Local Transport Authorities and DfT
• Travel planning: Batch journey planning and personalised journey plans;
NHS, Job Centre…
• Local area and national applications

10. Open Data Applications: Bus Checker
Open Data:
The Traveline Perspective

11. Open Data Applications: Bus Checker
Open Data:
The Traveline Perspective

12. Benefits to TIL of making data Open
Open Data:
The Traveline Perspective
• Third parties have developed applications that we would never have thought of
• Third parties have developed applications we didn’t know that our customers
wanted
• Third parties have developed applications that we couldn’t afford to procure
ourselves
• Improvements to our data quality; crowd sourcing of quality checking
• A better understanding of the demand for our data and our customers’ needs
(Open Data and Traveline services respectively)
• A better understanding of what services can be made available commercially, and
equally importantly, those which can’t and need to be funded to ensure inclusion
and accessibility

13. Open Data Integration: Challenges
Open Data:
The Traveline Perspective
TIL faced several issues when integrating multiple data feeds into a single national standard
feed/dataset. The following are key, and will apply equally to the use of Open Data by our
[industry wide] customers:
• System capacity – load and response time (API)
• Frequency of Update (API and TNDS)
• Non –standard feed formats (API and TNDS)
• Different interpretations of standard protocols, eg. TransXchange (TNDS)
• Non-standard referencing; operator names, service numbers, stopping points (API and TNDS)
• Data complexity (TNDS)
• Data quality; how to report problems, see progress, and achieve a fix (API and TNDS)
• Change – in IP address, feed format, data content, frequency of update….(API and TNDS)

14. TIL Management of multiple source data
Open Data:
The Traveline Perspective
• Supporting common stop referencing - National Public Transport Access Nodes
database (NaPTAN)
• Creating a National Operator Code database, and encouraging its integration into
source systems
• Managing developer and end user feedback and comments
• Data quality reporting and error chasing with source data and/or systems suppliers
• Collaborating with other users on the advancement and improvement of national
data standards and guidance
• Auditing data source for elements that could improve the TIL Open Data offer
• Listening to our customers

15. TIL Futures
Open Data:
The Traveline Perspective
The TIL Board is setting out its 5 year Technology Strategy which, working closely with key
stakeholders and the DfT, is likely to include the implementation during 2014 and 2015 of:
• A Traveline branded national journey planning web service, with API
• A UK wide database of fares for simple day out ticket types
• Simplification and further standardisation of the public transport data supply chains,
specifically bus and other modes registered with VOSA
• More frequent updates to TNDS
• TNDS in GTFS format
• Extended management function to include regional Traveline services as required
• More and better engagement with customers
• Development of social media channels
• Better integration of accessibility and service disruption data

16. Any Questions?
Open Data:
The Traveline Perspective
Julie Williams
Chief Executive
Traveline Information Limited
Julie.williams@traveline.info
07973 788398