SWEDISH TIME TRAVEL: GOTHENBURG'S PUBLIC INFORMATION PROGRAMME EVALUATED

The Gothenburg Traffic & Public Transport Authority operates the Gothenburg traffic information centre (GOTIC) in Sweden in collaboration with Chalmers University of Technology. GOTIC is the product of 14 years of research and development of a comprehensive system to distribute real-time information to public transport users in Gothenburg. Within its framework, researchers, manufacturers and users have collaborated to improve public transport information through various methods. One important aspect of its work is the process of establishing user requirements for real-time projects, conducted by the Department of Consumer Technology. Its results show that properly presented real-time information greatly reduces uncertainty about service predictability and reliability. The Department of Transport and Logistics is doing research on incident handling. Online dynamic forecasts of train and bus departures from all stops are continually produced and displayed. A long-term aim is to make the whole public transport system accessible via pagers, so that passengers can preprogram their most frequent lines and stops. Research into incident handling has shown that it is difficult, sometimes impossible, to solve acute operational problems and at the same time provide passengers with information about service interruptions.