710323Public Transport Integrated On-Line Booking & SchedulingClosedGRD Proof of ConceptInnovate UKTransport on Demand re-invents the way of delivering public service transport for rural and suburban areas. Based on small buses following a route that is generated solely from the passenger’s calls this IT system will calculate the routes and continue to recalculate them as new calls come in. Unlike the old DRT systems this provides an instant booking & scheduling system, able to respond immediately to more passengers, even while the bus is on the road. The core of this project is a new booking and scheduling algorithm that does not need any manual intervention to produce a driveable and efficient schedule for the bus. Accessed via the internet on a 24/7 basis and downloaded directly to the bus it replaces the call centres that often have to book days in advance. This vital leap in performance enables the bus industry to offer transport on demand giving it an appeal that greatly increases its commercial potential. Wiltshire Council regards this proof of concept as so significant that they will make Line 3 of their Connect service totally available for us to run the proof of concept. This will compare the conventional call centre service with an internet 24/7 instant service. It monitors the passenger satisfaction between each alternative and measures any growth in demand created by the new service. Because the project will run for at least two months it will examine how all parts of the community, young, working age and elderly can successfully access the service and investigate the various groups’ need for transport, how they prefer to book and the extent that they would use an instant service. The data gathered will be available for other rural UK counties and researchers. This proof of concept paves the way for a low cost transport on demand that will save local councils significant costs for call centres and demonstrate how an instant service