A wait off your mind Poly students invent system that lets commuters know where a bus is along its route
Gracia Chiang
[email protected] TIRED of waiting for buses? So are three final-year students from Ngee Ann Polytechnic. That's why they developed a smart system that allows commuters to track where a bus is along its route.
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"Usually, people don't like taking buses because the timings are so unpredictable. When we miss a bus, we're not sure whether to take an alternative route because we don't know when the next bus is coming," said Mr Christopher Choo, 19, one of the students behind the project.
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Collaborating with the Land Transport Authority (LTA), he and two electrical engineering teammates, Mr Du Si Jun, 25, and Ms Cheng Xi, 20, have come up with the Intelligent Bus User System (iBus), which extracts data from bus-operator servers.
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The system makes use of plasma screens installed at bus stops to indicate if a bus is six to eight stops away, and it is programmed to alert commuters when a bus is approaching.
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The aim is to help commuters — especially the elderly, who may not be able to see bus numbers from afar — flag the bus in good time.
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There is also a space for advertisements, a map showing the buses' real-time movement and a news ticker on each screen. In addition, a SMS function allows commuters to find out the location of a bus or request an alert when a bus is at a certain location by sending a message.
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"If I am at the library, for example, I could ask it to alert me when the bus is three stops away, so I can pack up and make my way to the bus stop just in time to board," said Mr Choo.
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But it could be six months before the public gets a look at the iBus trial system, which will be set up at the bus stop outside Ngee Ann Polytechnic along Clementi Road.
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The three are still looking for $50,000 in funding and will approach SBS Transit with a proposal.
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The operator has its own service that lets commuters check bus arrival times via their mobile phones. When contacted, SBS Transit would only say that it "welcomes innovations that enable us to deliver better service".
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SMRT was also non-committal, saying: "There are many factors to consider, such as operational feasibility, compatibility with our existing system and economic viability."
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The LTA said it would have to conduct vigorous testing and improve the prototypes before the system can be adopted.
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Meanwhile, the team will focus on ironing out issues such as how to prevent theft and vandalism of the screens.
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But if an interested company wants to take over the effort, said Mr Choo: "We'd be more than glad. At least we managed to help the public."