How AI is helping to prevent three buses turning up at once

[butterscotch]

AI is being used to alleviate “bus bunching” in the UK where several buses arrive at the same time, then none for a while.

It has happened to most people waiting for a specific bus in a busy city - you stand around for ages only for three to turn up at once.

This phenomenon is known as “bus bunching”, and it can be annoying.

To try to alleviate the problem, UK operator First Bus, which runs bus services across the UK, has turned to artificial intelligence (AI) powered software to design and automatically update its timetables.

This use of AI in Japan sounds really cool. Minivans are routed to specific locations, pretty much like taxis.

Such use of AI to help plan and organise public transport more efficiently is growing globally. In Japan, a company called Next Mobility runs on-demand, shared 10-seater minibuses

An AI expert in the field of public transportation in the UK is optimistic about the use of AI in the field of public transportation in the UK.

Eduardo Mascarenhas is an AI expert at the Urban Mobility initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). EIT Urban Mobility is a European Union backed project that is researching how to create more liveable towns and cities.

He says that there is a huge amount of important data that can be fed to AI public transport software.

Mr Mascarenhas gives the example of a small city. “Where do elderly people go to buy their groceries, or where is there a very famous doctor in the city that all the elderly want to go to? From these small observations you can make bigger models.”

While there’s no substitute for deep local knowledge, Mr Mascarenhas is optimistic about the growing use of AI in public transport planning. “I think we have a great way in the future to go.”

How AI is helping to prevent three buses turning up at once

[spitfire]

Bet the AI developers don’t use public transport

[macywack]

Ai gets the car out of the garage, why walk to the bus stop

[spitfire]

And, have to make small talk with the folks in the queue.

[OldGreyFox]

You’re lucky to see three buses all day in my village.
I can’t help thinking that we are going backwards with the help of technology. Back in the day, we had three bus companies providing a bus every twenty minutes, and they were always on time, each one trying to provide a better service than the next. Now we have one bus company providing one bus every two hours that is rarely on time. The reason for this is probably because every road is being dug up to supply everyone with fibre internet connections and new gas, electric, water and sewage pipes and wires for the hundreds of new houses being erected on every piece of spare land that isn’t under water…Yet!

[Maree]

That it hilarious, I live in a First bus region and
I can promise you they haven’t stopped bus bunching! AI or not

Nor have they solved the problem of the bloody bus being cancelled and not showing up at all

As how could AI solve that?

Busses that leave on time according to their timetable inevitably can get stuck behind traffic snarl ups, road works etc or get cancelled due to lack of drivers if someone calls in sick etc

AI can’t magically clear the road or magic up a driver?

So if a bus is delayed by a temporary hold up which is cleared by the time the next one on the timetable is due to go through, inevitably they will arrive at their destination at around the same time, bunched up

What could AI do about it?

They can’t alter the timetable to avoid times when the roads are busy because the roads are busy at the times people need to be places, at work usually, so no help at all they run less busses at those times and people can’t get to work at all?

I think they’re putting to much emphasis on AI and their desire to run a profitable system and not enough on the needs of their customers they’re supposed to serve

All public transport should be nationalised and run on a not for profit basis

[butterscotch]

@Maree

That it hilarious, I live in a First bus region and
I can promise you they haven’t stopped bus bunching! AI or not

Mr Pearson says that it has resulted in 20% more punctuality during some peak periods, and that the firm is now rolling out the AI across all its UK routes. However, this level of improvement has not been enough to satisfy passengers in some of the trial locations, who report that the bus services remain irregular.

Interestingly, 20% more punctuality leads to more complaints because it’s not 100% punctuality. Something else AI can’t solve.

[Maree]

@butterscotch

@Maree

That it hilarious, I live in a First bus region and
I can promise you they haven’t stopped bus bunching! AI or not

Mr Pearson says that it has resulted in 20% more punctuality during some peak periods, and that the firm is now rolling out the AI across all its UK routes. However, this level of improvement has not been enough to satisfy passengers in some of the trial locations, who report that the bus services remain irregular.

Interestingly, 20% more punctuality leads to more complaints because it’s not 100% punctuality. Something else AI can’t solve.

Well, he says “some” peak periods and I ‘d really like to see the figures on that, because I don’t believe it, definitely not in our area. I simply don’t believe they are 20% more punctual

And the thing with bus “bunching”
If a bus is delayed, and then whatever caused the delay is cleared, the bus behind catches up, hence the “bunching”

But there will still be a bus full of people at the stop waiting for the first one, plus a bus full of people who were waiting for the second one

If they stop the “bunching’ by holding back the second bus, everybody has to cram on the first bus and they get a far less comfortable journey or can’t get on at all

They just use AI as an excuse to cancel busses

Instead of introducing AI they’d be better off paying their drivers more with better training
Because driver shortages cause First Bus more delays and cancellations than “bunching” and they need to employ more drivers offering good pay and conditions

[OldGreyFox]

@Maree

Instead of introducing AI

Why don’t they use some of the money to subsidise bus travel because it must be costing them a packet to use Al. Our local council used to subsidise bus fares and it was a damn site cheaper than using your car, and the busses were always full and making the companies good profits, with some of it going back to the council.
Then our council decided it should sell off most of it’s housing stock and public buildings, cut the subsidies and waste money on virtue projects, and allow First Mainline to take over the running of Doncaster busses…And now their skint with a rubbish bus service provided by

[mart]

The bus service isn’t bad around here. There are delays caused by roadworks that seem to be everywhere at present. including complete road closures and diversions, one being on a major bus route. This can occasionally cause bunching. On the plus side, most busses are tracked realtime on their progress and the time they will arrive at a bus stop shows up on a digital display inside the bus shelter.

The bus timetable states there should be a bus every half hour from a stop that is only a short distance from our house. It can’t always stick to that due to road circumstances. One helpful app that can be installed on a smartphone is ‘UK Bus Checker’. This gives the arrival time at any bus stop regardless of the timetable. We know just when to leave the house. Saves a lot of hanging around at the stop.

[Chilliboot]

Yep, I can vouch for bus checker mart. In fact I’ve just used it. My next bus is due in three minutes… the last one was cancelled
It’s a bit nippy out here