TransportAPI is announcing the opening of its National Bus Prediction Service (NBPS) to provide real-time information (RTI) for all bus stops in Great Britain. The new NBPS is already substantially complete through the local authority RTI schemes included with the NextBuses - powered by TransportAPI service. During the first 3 months of NextBuses operation TransportAPI has extended the NextBuses RTI coverage to include London, Manchester and Edinburgh. However, this expansion still leaves many rural bus stops not covered by any RTI source.

The NBPS is now using the English Bus Open Data Service (BODS) SIRI-VM data to track buses and predict their likely departure time at stops that are not already covered by existing RTI schemes. TransportAPI is also keen to speak to Welsh and Scottish operators with SIRI-VM data outside the English BODS service. The new NBPS will complete the national coverage of NBPS to serve all stops with RTI from a single national source.

The data is delivered to developers through NextBuses SIRI-SM service or the TransportAPI hypermedia RESTful API managed service with links to stops, routes and operators within the response. TransportAPI automatically chooses the best data sources for each stop so that no prior knowledge is necessary to use the service other than stop ATCOcode, and this data is available from the TAPI Places managed service.

TransportAPI aims to reach 100% bus stop and service coverage including rural stops within a year, and the new service will also enhance the NextBuses SMS service. The first of the areas without existing RTI data to be covered by the NBPS is rural Cheshire. We invite local transport authorities to contact us if they have high priority areas without current RTI so we can adapt our rollout programme.