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Bus app plan ‘laughable’

My Bus 2.0
The Imagine Team who created MyBus 2.0, are seeking live GPS data from TAMS so they can run an up-to-date bus tracking system.
WEB developer Andrew Clapham isn’t annoyed that the ACT Government announced they will invest part of $12.5m into an ACTION bus smartphone application – just surprised.

Mr Andrew Clapham is part of The Imagine Team, a group of ANU students who developed the smartphone application MyBus six months ago. They offered to share their concept with Department of Territory and Municipal Services in March this year, but the directorate said it didn’t have money to invest into an application.

“I’m surprised,” Mr Clapham said. “This is where my tax money is goes – it’s laughable.”

The free application, which currently has more than 1300 users, tracks bus times from existing timetables on the ACTION website. The application finds a bus, where to catch it and what time the bus arrives. The application now has the ability to also track buses live – giving users up-to-date information on bus locations however live GPS data from TAMS is still unavailable.

The Imagine Team with the ACT Greens MLA Amanda Bresnan filed for a freedom of information in February this year, to receive the live GPS data,  however they were rejected.

Mr Clapham said TAMS had told them they were rejected because the current GPS data was inaccurate, but would be available within one to three months, but that was in March.

“It’s now July, and TAMS says that the data will be available in the next few weeks,” he said.

Mr Clapham hopes the ACT Government will open the tender process for the development of the smartphone application to all web developers and not limit the whole project to one “enormous” company.

“I hope the Government gives small companies a chance to tender for parts of the development,” he said. “I just hope the little guy doesn’t miss out.”

For more information on MyBus 2.0 visit imagineteamsolutions.com

 

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3 Responses to Bus app plan ‘laughable’

Deshi says: 4 July 2011 at 6:02 pm

Damn govt!! Apps like that are so useful. I used to live in Canberra and always found public transport to be unpredictable at best. It was so annoying that I decided to move close to work so that I could walk there. Now, I’ve just decided to move to another city. I use the tram tracker on the android all the time. That’s how I know not to get on the fully packed tram that’s here now and wait for the one that’s a min away and usually much emptier… (not so lucky today – as I get onto the second fully packed tram)…

I think its time ACT govt got with the times.

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