ACT Budget: Tech overhaul for buses

James Riley
Tuesday, 04 May 2010 20:18

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

The ACT government will spend $12.5 million on a new GPS-based smart public transport system that it says will make its Canberra bus services more reliable.

Announced by Treasurer Katy Gallagher as part of the territory's annual budget, the real time passenger information system is designed to monitor the location of buses through GPS location services.

Arrival information would then provide accurate arrival information to passengers at bus stops and major bus terminals. The Government said the bus location information service would also be integrated into its SMS notification and web-based services.

"An additional $600,000 over four years (in) recurrent funding has been provided to operate the system which monitors the location of buses and displays this information at major stations," Ms Gallagher said in her speech to the Legislative Assembly.

Ms Gallagher said the real time passenger information system investment was a part of a transport package that aimed to reduce congestion - increased bus facilities, new pedestrian and cycle paths, and new park/bike-and-ride facilities.

The ACT Government has also offered up $250,000 to conduct a feasibility study of its current and future data management needs - and is thought to include a look at data centre consolidation and the use of a planned $1 billion gas-fired data centre to be build in Tuggeranong.

"This review will include a detailed assessment of the various options available in order to rationalise and improve the Government's data management capability," the budget papers said.

It will also spend $6.1 million as capital investment to "replace a range of ageing hardware components that support the ACT Government computer network."