Suburban bus traffic in the east will be managed by dispatch

The self-governing regions in the east of Slovakia are introducing a new thing in transport – the central dispatching and information system IDS Východ. The first stage of the system, which will enable the introduction of guaranteed transfers and information boards at stops, will be launched in January 2024.

The operation of the Central Dispatch and Information System IDS Východ will soon begin in suburban bus transport in the east of Slovakia. The first stage will be launched in January, while it will concern the contractual carriers of the Košice Self-Governing Region (KSR) – eurobus and ARRIVA Michalovce. In the second stage, in the course of 2024, other bus carriers within the IDS Východ will be included in the system, which is related to the gradual end of the public procurement process for suburban bus transport services in the Prešov self-governing region (PSR).

Central dispatching will enable, for example, the gradual introduction of the so-called guaranteed transfers. These will ensure that subsequent connections wait for each other in case of delays.

“Various emergencies occur daily in bus traffic, which can affect the flow of traffic and cause delays. For these cases, a central dispatching unit was created, which monitors the movement of vehicles in real time, which enables an immediate reaction to unexpected events. If one connection is late, the dispatcher instructs the driver of the connecting connection to wait. By introducing central dispatching, we will increase the reliability of bus transport. I believe that passengers will appreciate this innovation and give priority to public transport,” said the president of the Košice self-governing region, Rastislav Trnka.

The software for the operation of the central dispatch was delivered in August 2023. In September, testing and verification activities took place on test traffic data with the aim of eliminating errors. After the successful completion of the testing, the pilot operation of the system began on the real data of KSR contracted carriers, in which solutions to traffic situations were simulated in order to ensure smoothness and trouble-free operation.

Part of the project is the IDS Východ Information System, within which the displayed information about bus departures was verified in real time on two pilot electronic information boards installed in the villages of Ľubotín (in PSR) and Slanec (in KSR).

“We are constantly working on improving the comfort of traveling in suburban bus transport. And one of our priorities was also the introduction of the IDS Východ Information System, thanks to which passengers will receive timely up-to-date information about the locations of connections or notices of delays. This is through electronic information boards, alarms, connection search engines or mobile applications, which will gradually be put into practice in the coming years. I believe that such improvements will not only increase the satisfaction of current passengers, but also attract new ones to the public transport,” said Milan Majerský, president of the Prešov self-governing region.

The project was financed from the funds of the European Union through structural funds (IROP) and co-financed from the budgets of PSR and KSR. The total authorized expenses of the project were in the amount of more than 169000 euros, of which the contribution from EU funds was more than 152000 euros and the contribution of self-governing regions for co-financing amounts to almost 17000 euros.

Press release: KSK, PSK, IDS Východ