Stakeholder co-operation-the key to successful public transport

Many 'bus services in the UK have suffered over the years from the impact of increasing traffic congestion and disgruntled passengers. Arguably, the reason is quite simply that some operators have not truly known the whereabouts of buses in an increasingly congested traffic network, despite the introduction of two-way radio communications systems, nor have they had the capability to inform the users of any delays. The solution to this problem is focused on improving service through managed fleets, and the proven principles of fleet management and highly sophisticated bus tracking systems. Such fleetwide use of satellite tracking technology provides the ability to reliably locate vehicles and view realtime information on bus movements. This not only provides operators with the benefit of a practical fleet management tool but the additional benefits of providing service performance information helping address the increasing demands of other stakeholders: users, politicians and the traffic commissioner.