BODS (Bus Open Data Service)

2023: Allocation of £24m after 3 years of trying to get the project done

In early September 2023, the British Department of Transport announced its intention to allocate £24 million (approximately $30.16 million at the exchange rate as of September 6, 2023) to technology companies that will help in the deployment of the state information system (GIS) for bus transportation.

In 2020, the agency announced the Bus Open Data Service (BODIES) initiative, which involves the formation of a digital platform that will make information about bus service available in the form of open data. It is assumed that British transport companies will provide information on routes and schedules, fares, tickets, etc. Such data is expected to help passengers plan trips, find tickets at the best price and receive real-time notifications wherever they are in England.

British Ministry of Transport is ready to allocate £24 million to help deploy GIS for bus transportation

From December 31, 2020, transport operators in Britain were obliged to provide bus schedule data for the BODIES platform. In January 2021, companies began to transmit information about the location of their vehicles, as well as basic information about tariffs and tickets. And from the beginning of 2023, bus operators had to ensure the provision of a comprehensive dataset.

But the implementation of the project reportedly faced a number of difficulties. Thus, small transport companies express concerns that the collection and transmission of up-to-date information on transportation will lead to increased costs. The quality of the information provided raises some questions. In addition, it is not clear how important the benefits will be provided in practice by the BODIES platform for passengers. However, the British Department of Transport states that the initiative will in any case allow citizens to receive more up-to-date information about the work of transport companies.^[1]

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