Industry and technology leaders have been urged by the New South Wales Government to submit expressions of interest to run an on-demand transport trial.
Expressions of interest were released in December with responses due by February 2017.
The state’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Andrew Constance, said following an evaluation period, all pilot programs were expected to be operational by the end of 2017.
“We have Netflix, Stan, and Foxtel to give us movies on demand – so why can’t we have our public transport respond to where people are and what they want?” Mr Constance said.
“Imagine a NSW where you don’t need to check the timetable because the right numbers of trains, buses or ferries arrive when and where they need to. This future is not far off if we are quick off the mark today.”
Minister Constance said data including how people travelled, weather and special events would be used to create public transport planning changes in real time – a timetable that was flexible and responded to what customers needed.
“I want to see the end of timetables and a network that can cut down on travel delays by automatically putting on extra trains in wet weather or extra buses from a footy team’s home suburbs to away games.”
Mr Constance said the trials could include special bus services on suburban routes that responded to where and when extra buses were needed.
“But we want the biggest ideas from the best minds in innovation and technology to get cracking on this – they know better than the government does, and I don’t want to restrict their imagination.”