TfL Ref: FOI-3176-2425
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 27 December 2024 asking for information about iBus system.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require.
Specifically you asked:
When a bus enters the fleet, who installs the ibus and does the operator or TFL enter the vehicle details (VehicleID®) to ensure accuracy and can the operator edit it if changed?
For most buses, the iBus kit is sent to the bus manufacturers and they install the kit before the bus is delivered to an operator.
Trapeze, the current iBus supplier, then commissions the bus to ensure that it is ready for operation. During this stage, the bus is set up with a temporary registration number and bonnet number. When the operator confirms the registration number and bonnet number, the temporary details are updated with the confirmed details, however this can only happen with a base version release (data release), which is normally every two weeks. In a handful of cases, buses could run on the road using these temporary details until the next base version release takes place. Changes to the registration number cannot be edited within iBus by the operator themselves.
is the Vehicle Registration on the Ibus always correct?
This is manually input and can therefore be subject to human error and will be addressed as and when any error is found under the same process as mentioned above.
When Ibus 2 is installed will this be the same case with accurate data?’
Currently the iBus2 Project is in the solution design phase, therefore it is not possible to comment on how the final iBus2 solution will work, only once the final design has been agreed can TfL confirm how it will work for iBus2. TfL has gathered a number of requirements to inform how the iBus2 solution should work taking into account limitations of legacy technology, pain points and capability of new technology available.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely,
Mary Abidakun
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
