Computer to fight bus bunching in Sheffield
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• South Yorkshire Transport has introduced a computer system on one of its high frequency routes in Sheffield to prevent bus bunching, which has been caused by a 25% increase in congestion in the area over the past four years.
The Datatrak vehicle monitoring system is costing up to £40,000 for a six-month trial on SYT's Eager Beaver Route 52. All 38 minibuses on the 14.5km (nine mile) route have been operating with Datatrak since the summer. It allows the controller to determine each vehicle's location, direction speed and status.
"The Datatrak scheme should help us to determine how and why problems arise sc we can plan accordingly," says SYT's operations director Bob Montgomery. "And as the controller can see where all 38 buses are, vehicles can be redirected using our two-way radio system."
If the scheme is successful it will be used on other SYT routes, to combat the congestion which is estimated to cost the company £4m a year. But Montgomery says it will need to see a 2% increase in either passengers or turnover within six months for the system to be worthwhile.