Hi-tech trial for London Buses
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• London Buses is to take part in the trials of an electronic navigation and vehicle location system which is being installed in Westminster and along the M4 to Heathrow.
The £100,000 Autoguide trial is supported by the Department of Transport and is being used to determine whether such a system could be introduced effectively throughout Britain.
London Buses is one of the trial's sponsors. It will be using Autoguide as a fleet location system to gain detailed information about the location of every bus within the Westminster area.
If the trails prove successful, London Buses could use the system to improve bus scheduling and provide information on impending bus arrivals at bus stops.
Five roadside beacons for Peter Bottomley the system will be installed in Westminster in time for the start of the Autoguide trial in the last quarter of this year.
Autoguide has been developed by Plessey and GEC and is sponsored by the AA, RAC, London Buses, Gaydon Technology, the British Airports Authority, Wootton Jeffreys, SIA, WS Atkins and the City of Westminster.
Similar systems are being developed elsewhere in Europe, including West Germany. Roads and Traffic minister Peter Bottornley says the Dip is working to ensure that a European standard is agreed so vehicles can use the same vehicle location and navigation system throughout Europe.
Bottomley is optimistic that Autoguide could be in operation throughout Britain by the mid-1990s.