Phantom and stealth buses in the real time passenger information system
21 September 2022

The real time passenger information system has been operational for several years and, as a general rule, it is very helpful for bus passengers in providing information about the bus that they are hoping to catch. The information is available to passengers through the displays at many bus stops and through apps that can be downloaded on to a smartphone. Passengers can see whether the bus is on time or late.

However, there are some glitches in the system. Two particular problems are “phantom” buses and “stealth” buses.

With phantom buses, the issue is that the RTPI system has all the anticipated services in its database and feeds that information to the roadside displays and apps. It will show the timetabled times for a bus to be at a stop until it receives updated information about the bus’s progress when it can start to show a countdown of time until the bus will arrive at the stop. However, if the service has been cancelled, and the operator has failed to inform the system that it has been cancelled, the RTPI will continue to show the scheduled arrival time until that time has passed and then it disappears. The passenger will have thought the service was going to turn up but then will be disappointed, and probably seriously inconvenienced, when it fails to appear.

With stealth buses, the opposite happens. The bus is running on the route but it has fallen behind schedule. At a certain point the RTPI system seems to delete it from its schedule and the waiting passenger then concludes that it has been cancelled. However, several minutes later, the bus turns up at the stop much to the bemusement of the passenger (if he or she is still waiting for it and has not decided to abandon their journey all together). The disappointing thing about stealth buses is that the technology on the bus is still transmitting information about its whereabouts and this is being picked up on other tracking systems such as on the bustimes.org website. But, for some reason the Council RTPI system does not seem to be able to incorporate this valid information.

As an example, I waited at Tresillian Business Park for a 27 bus scheduled to arrive at 9.02 a.m. The bus had been on the RTPI system on the First app on my phone but, at 9.02 a.m., it disappeared from the app. However, bustimes.org tracking showed that it was on its way to me and, at about 9.17 a.m., it did arrive. See below the screenshots showing the information that I had from the two systems: bus tracking showing the vehicle en route towards me at 9.14 a.m. but no record of it on the First app. The bus registration number on the tracking website was correct.

I have raised these issues with the Council’s local transport team and I will be pursuing this until the matter is resolved.