Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is trialling a new service on its RideSpace website to show real-time occupancy information on some of Melbourne’s busiest bus routes.
Welcoming the trial, Minister for Public Transport, Ben Carroll said RideSpace was a mobile responsive mini-site launched by PTV in 2021, designed to show real-time departures and delays, as well as occupancy levels across the metropolitan train network.
“The addition of real-time bus information to RideSpace means more Victorians can plan their journey with confidence as they return to the network,” Mr Carroll said.
“As more Victorians return to the network, RideSpace is helping passengers feel more comfortable and informed about catching public transport,” he said.
In a statement, PTV said RideSpace provided real-time passenger volumes on trains, on individual platforms and at stations across the metropolitan train network.
“This means you can choose when you want to travel, according to how busy the next service will be,” PTV said.
“RideSpace displays four levels of capacity: Very Quiet, Quiet, Busy and Very Busy,” it said.
“It shows you how busy your station, your platform and your train (or bus) will be, and helps you decide which service to catch.”
PTV said real-time bus occupancy was now available for eleven routes, 190, 402, 404, 420, 431, 432, 471, 498, 552, 601 and 623.
It said theses were some of Melbourne’s most high-frequency and high-traffic routes, “meaning we can gather as much data and user feedback as possible”.
PTV said it was currently investigating adding tram and regional train capacity data to the online tool, and the integration of RideSpace into existing PTV channels.
RideSpace can be accessed at this PS News link.
