# Presentation: 401641

## ImplementingTimeTablePublisher	

**T3 Webinar**
**May 14, 2006**
**David Sulllivan**

## What are Bus Timetables?

- A timetable is the publicly available document outlining the bus services for a particular route.
- The relevant operator is responsible for preparing, maintaining and distributing the timetable.

## Key Timetable Components

- Effective date
- Schedule and timepoints
- Map with timepoints and transfer locations
- Transfer location and connecting route information
- Holiday schedule
- Fare information
- Wheelchair and bike rack service availability
- Information on different services provided
- Contact information

## Why Timetables?

**To board a transit bus an individual needs to know:**
- which route to take
- where the bus goes
- where the bus stops
- when the bus arrives
- the travel time to the destination, and
- how much it costs to travel.

## Accessing Timetable Information

- Route maps and timetables – Printed material
- System maps – Bird’s eye view of a transit system
- Information on stops – Bus stop signs with bus routes with route information
- Websites – Information on all the services and routes
- Trip-planning systems – Point-to-point information for the public
- Telephone service – Call customer service and ask for information on a bus route
- Headsign at the front of the bus
- Bus operators
- Other passengers

## Benefits of Timetables

- Enhanced ridership
- Increased awareness and usage
- Better image
- Improved rider satisfaction
- Improvement in making transfer connections
- Improvement in discovering alternative routes for trips
- Improvement in identifying routes serving each stop
- Reduced complaints
- Increased and more frequent ridership
- Increase in revenue

## Published HRT Bus Schedule 

- Published HRT Bus Schedule

**Effective Date**

**Schedule and Timepoints**

**Map with Timepoint**
**and Transfer Location**

**Transfer Location**
**and Connecting Route**

** ****Services**

**Route Information**

## Published HRT Bus Schedule 

- Published HRT Bus Schedule

**Weekend Schedule**

**Bus Fares**

**Contact information**

## Raw Data to Prepare Timetable

**Green **
**boxes**
**represent **
**PM**
**time**

## Results from TimeTablePublisher

## Data Required for Timetable: Dynamic vs. Static

- Dynamic Data
- Scheduling information from systems such as Hastus or Trapeze
- Mapping info (_manual_)
- Transfer locations (_manual_)
- Connecting route information from transfer points (_manual_)

## Data Required for Timetable: Dynamic vs. Static

- Static Data
- Holiday information (_manual_)
- Fare information (_manual_)
- Service information (_manual_)
- Contact information (_manual_)

## Process Flow 

_**HASTUS REPORTS**_
**Schedule**

_**Information from Scheduling**_
**Mapping  info**
**Transfer locations**
**Holiday info**
**Connecting routes **
**Wheel chair and bike rack avail**
**Fare information **
**Contact information**

**Information sent to Marketing for design**

**Timetables sent to **
**Scheduling & Planning **
**For proofreading**

**Timetables created manually **
**Using Quark Express software**

- Process Flow

## Design Process in Marketing

- Timetable is currently created manually
- Quark Express software is used
- Very time-consuming and labor-intensive process
- Can be prone to error
- Marketing is considering outsourcing this process** **

## Cost of Preparing Timetables

**Labor hours** - **29 to 39 hours** _**per route**_
- To prepare headway (schedule) – 8 hours per route
- To prepare maps – 12 to 20 hours per map
- To prepare timetable from headway report –   6 to 8 hours per route
- Proofreading – 3 hours per route
**Publishing Cost**
- To develop maps -  $16K in 2007
- To print and publish timetables for different routes - $45K in 2007

## Cost of Preparing Timetables, cont’d

**The cost also depends on other factors, such as**** **
- Number of routes - 54
- How often board changes happen –
-    (2 major changes Fall & Spring)
- Routes can change up to 6 times a year
- Reprinting due to mistakes

## TimeTablePublisher Tool

- TimeTablePublisher:
- is an open source application  – **available for free**
- enables a transit agency to examine, modify, and transform raw scheduling data into easy-to-read timetables
- simplifies and accelerates the production of printed on-street and web schedules
- results in more accurate, current, and consistent schedule information for the customer
- produces timetables in a variety of formats
- is designed to use data directly in the Google Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) format
- can be very easy to implement

## Information Flow Using theTimeTablePublisher

- Information Flow Using theTimeTablePublisher

- GTFS

- Configuration

- Input Parameters

- Output
- Timetables

**TimeTablePublisher**

## Data Requirements

**Raw Data**** – **In **GTFS** files:
- Agency
- Calendar
- Calendar Dates
- Fare Attributes
- Fare Rules
- Routes
- Stops
- Stop Times
- Trips

**Configuration Data**** **– Saved in **CSV** files:
- Effective Date
- Pattern Notes
- Route Names
- Route Notes
- Timepoints
- Merge Timepoint Notes
- Phantom Timepoint
- Rename Timepoint
- Trip Notes

## Google Feed Specifications

- _agency.txt_** ****- Required**. This file has information about the transit agency
- _stops.txt_** - Required**. This file contains information about individual locations where vehicles pick up or drop off passengers.
- _routes.txt_** - Required**. This file contains information about a transit organization's routes. A route is a sequence of two or more stops.
- _trips.txt_** - Required**. This file contains information about scheduled service along a particular route. Trips consist of two or more stops that are made at regularly scheduled intervals.
- _stop_times.txt_** - Required**. This file lists the times that a vehicle arrives at and departs from individual stops for each trip along a route.
- _calendar.txt_** - Required**. This file defines service categories. Each category indicates the days that service starts and ends as well as the days that service is available.

## Google Feed Specifications, cont’d

- _calendar_dates.txt_** - Optional**. This file lists exceptions for the service categories defined in the **calendar.txt** file. If calendar_dates.txt includes ALL dates of service, this file may be specified instead of calendar.txt.
- _fare_attributes.txt_** - Optional.** This file defines fare information for a transit organization's routes.
- _fare_rules.txt_** - Optional.** This file defines the rules for applying fare information for a transit organization's routes.
- _shapes.txt_** - Optional.** This file defines the rules for drawing lines on a map to represent a transit organization's routes.
- _frequencies.txt_** - Optional.** This file defines the headway (time between trips) for routes with variable frequency of service.

## TTPUB Installation Process

- Install Apache Tomcat *(an open source application server which support Java Servlet)*
- Install binary files for Apache Ant *(an open source software tool for automating software build processes)*
- Install JDK *(Java Development Kit)*
- Deploy ttpub.war file to create website
- Create folder for Google Transit Feed file
- Modify configuration files for agency specific data
- Test the application
- Create timetables** **

## Creating Timetables Using TTPUB

- Generate Google Transit Feed files from Hastus *(scheduling tool)*
- Copy these files into designated folder
- Configure routes using TimeTablePublisher tool
- View the route in HTML/PDF format
- Proofread timetable
- Publish timetable

## Slide 24

## Benefits of TimeTablePublisher Tool

- Open source application **(FREE)**
- Helps Marketing team to prepare public schedules and timetables in various formats
- Easy to use
- Information is dynamically generated
- Minimal effort to implement
- Acceptance of Google Transit Feed data makes the generation of raw data very simple and standardized
- Timetable output can be produced in a variety of formats

## Questions?

**David Sullivan**Sr. V.P. Planning & TechnologyHampton Roads Transit1500 Monticello AvenueNorfolk, VA  23510757-222-6121_dsullivan@hrtransit.org_