Buslines Group is an Australian bus company and one of the largest private operators in the state of New South Wales (NSW).

The family-run business operates passenger transport and school services across 12 regions under contracts held with the NSW Government agency, Transport for NSW.

In 2020, Transport for NSW made a commitment to improve public transport services and to better meet the travel needs of passengers. This served as a catalyst for Buslines to digitalise its manual work processes, leading the group to partner with Omnibus for timetabling, mapping, rostering, vehicle scheduling and crew duties. 

As part of its commitment, Transport for NSW requires bus operators to share transport data electronically in a TODIS (Transport Operational Data Interface Specification) format. Having seen significant efficiencies delivered from using the scheduling suite, Buslines challenged Omnibus to develop a robust TODIS solution. 

Challenge 

Omnibus has a vast amount of experience in designing interfaces to external systems, having developed TransXChange (TXC) tools and a Bus Open Data Service (BODS) exporter to meet the UK’s Department for Transport standard. 

The TODIS file has to feed several downstream systems, including Transport for NSW’s website, journey planners and real-time systems. It also needs to provide the timetable and schedule data needed for Buslines to monitor on-time performance through Transport for NSW’s real-time bus tracking initiative, Transport Connected Bus (TCB) Program. 

“It was a key requirement for the TODIS file to produce accurate transport data to allow us to feed external systems quickly and seamlessly. Omnibus has a powerful scheduling solution, and we had every confidence in the team developing a TODIS exporter which enabled Buslines to meet our regulatory requirements.” – David D’Apuzzo, Director at Buslines Group 

Solution

TODIS is a comprehensive, technical document detailing how the XML file should read, and it requires an operating calendar specifying when each trip operates. 

Adhering to strict TODIS documentation, Omnibus developed a TODIS exporter which pulls data from the cloud-based Omnibus scheduling modules adopted by Buslines – OmniTIMES, OmniBASE and OmniMAP – to produce a TODIS-compliant file which seamlessly feeds external systems. 

Result

Buslines benefits from the following with the TODIS exporter: 

• Produces TODIS compliant exports quickly and seamlessly 
• Provides Transport for NSW with accurate transport data 
• Has the capability to improve services, monitor KPIs and inform customers of service updates 

“From scheduling to data sharing, Omnibus has proven capability to create robust solutions for bus operators. We can now connect with customers, manage operations and keep services running on time.” – David D’Apuzzo