I wanted to know if you have any publications that service controllers use to demonstrate the use of the IBUS System i.e. route diagram explanations etc. I also wondered if you could tell me what maps you use on the IBUS Control system that show where buses are? Secondly, please could you tell me what software bus operators use to create bus schedules please?

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Dear

TfL Ref: FOI-1984-1819

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 28 October 2018.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.  I can confirm we hold some of the information you require. You asked:

I wanted to know if you have any publications that service controllers use to demonstrate the use of the IBUS System i.e. route diagram explanations etc.

We have a training manual which we give to our Service Controllers who attend the iBus training course. However, in accordance with the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply this manual as it is subject to a statutory exemption to the right of access to information under section 43(2)- Commercial Interests.

This manual is the intellectual property of our third party and is exempt from disclosure under section 43(2) of the FOI Act, which applies to disclosures of information that would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of any person. Disclosure would prejudice the training provider’s commercial interests since it would enable their competitors to access their content, which they could then use to develop similar training materials without incurring the costs of developing the materials from scratch themselves. If public authorities were unable to offer some protection for third party intellectual property the likely outcome would be that training providers would increase the initial cost, since the materials provided would be made publicly available, eroding their commercial advantage in future tender opportunities.

There is a clear public interest in both the effective operation of competitive markets, and also in avoiding public sector organisations paying an additional premium for the production of training materials. We have considered the public interest in disclosure and there would appear to be little benefit to the public in the release of internal training documentation which has no direct impact on the interaction of bus drivers with the travelling public.

I also wondered if you could tell me what maps you use on the IBUS Control system that show where buses are?

The GIS embedded in iBus uses OpenStreetMap.

Secondly, please could you tell me what software bus operators use to create bus schedules please?

We do not have any involvement in this process. Each bus operator creates their schedules themselves and they are free to use any software they wish. Once they complete them, they submit the schedules to us via our CAESAR system.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

  

Please could you assist me with the following please;

I wanted to know if you have any publications that service controllers use to demonstrate the use of the IBUS System i.e. route diagram explanations etc. I also wondered if you could tell me what maps you use on the IBUS Control system that show where buses are?

Secondly, please could you tell me what software bus operators use to create bus schedules please?

This information will be valuable

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