A DESIGN PROPOSAL

FOR SOLVING
SCHRÖDINGER’S BUS
Is my bus early? Late? So late its early? Or not even there?
 WHAT IS SCHRÖDINGER’S
BUS?
Heading to a stop, that serves a single bus, you see a bus pulling away, earlier then expected.
The question is then:
A Every 15m Bus Stop
Its 6:55am  Was my bus early?
7:15AM Bus 7AM Bus  I’m waiting for the next one
 Or is it cancelled?

 Was it the earlier bus that was

7AM Bus 6:45AM Bus late?
 Mine is coming on time?
 Or is it cancelled?

6:45 to 7AM Buses
Cancelled: No more buses till 7:30am
6:30AM Bus  Was it a bus that was so late its
lapped back to being early?
 Or a combination of quantum state
6:30AM Bus
 0030
Example Track 0045
0060
0115
…
0015
My bus Should
0030
Expected get here at T-
Times 0045
0045
0115
Second Lap …
0045
0100
0115
0130
…

Lap point
0000
0015
0030
0100
…
 Which can be displayed linear like this

Trip Start Trip End

The draw backs:

• It can only look at a moment of time in reference to a stop time. It can’t display all buses / trips for all expected
stops else you would see all buses future and past – which has no bearing on what you want – to get on the
next/soon bus, at said stop.
 Now Line
Hybrid All Style
Now
The middle yellow bus is the one we
want to follow, we are at the stop next
up in a few minutes, we can see all the Trip Start Trip End
bus before, and to behind us. As time
moves forward, all the buses move
based on predicted schedule. When the
yellow bus hits the stop we want, it
will have arrived. A few minutes later Offscreen

The now line always remains in the

center to give a sense of balance
Trip Start Trip End

Unmarked 15 min apart stops

 Now Line (4:05)
Google Style

Trip Start Trip End

3pm start

Trip Start Trip End

3:15pm start

Trip Start Trip End

3:30pm start

Trip Start Trip End

3:45pm start

Trip Start Trip End

4pm start

Unmarked 15 min apart stops

 Its T-0000
Each stop is 15 minutes apart, with busses arriving every 15 minutes. The Person at stop 3 cannot see the other stops.

My bus Should
Its T-0015 get here at T-
0045

Its T-0030
 The Happy Path
Its T-0045
The bus arrives as expected. All other buses hit the time marks Great my
bus is here!

Actual
0015 0030 0045 0100
Times
0030 0045 0060 0115
0045 0060 0115 0130
Its T-0060
Person has boarded the bus, and the cycle repeats.

Second wave
The Other Paths
Its T-0040
And a bus just blew by you earlier then expected

Was that the

T0045 bus?

0015 0030 0045

Expected
Times 0030 0045 0060
0045 0060 0075
Why this happens
Buses look alike You can’t tell one bus from another
unless you know the ID codes and
what route they are assigned too

Was that the

T0045 bus?

Buses are on roads Timetables are hard to be rigid due

to weather, road and human
conditions.
Why this happens
Staffing issues It’s a human powered service.
Things happen that delay/miss
bus/service. More often then not
there is not enough drivers for the
amount of busses needed.

Buses are driven by Humans also make errors, miss

human stops, dive quicker or slower at
whim. They can also get sick, not
show up for work, leave half way.

Buses break Winter murders busses. Salt, snow

and hot weather also murders
buses. Its not uncommon for a 35
year old bus to drop dead in the
middle of a route.
The Deduction
Its T-0040, and a bus just blew by you earlier then expected. Choices
Was that the
0045 bus
early?

0000
0015 Was that the
Past 0030 Current time bar 0030 late?
Future 0045 <- The one we want

0100
Was that the
0115
0015 or
0000 super
What you must know is: What you could know is: late?
• Your expected stop time • Bus frequency
• Route • Cancellation info
• Current time • Information about the line Or something
• If the previous bus showed up else
The Other Paths
Its T-0040
A bus just blew by you earlier then the expected T0045 time

And if this is true. Is the:

Was that the
0045 bus Next bus iteration coming?
early?

Was that the

Mine still coming on time?
0030 late?

Was that the

0015 or What's the status? Are the rest of them backed up behind it?
0000 super
late?

Or is no bus coming for a while, after this unknown bus, because it

was cancelled
 Now Line (4:05)
Google Style
Trip Centric
3 Trip Start Trip End
3pm start

96 Trip Start Trip End

3:15pm start

5 Trip Start Trip End

3:30pm start

3 Trip Start Trip End

3:45pm start

96 Trip Start Trip End

4pm start
 Now Line (4:05)
Google Style Filtered
Trip Centric

96 Trip Start Trip End

3:15pm start

96 Trip Start Trip End

4pm start
 Now Line (4:05)
Google Style filtered and stacked
Trip Centric

96
Stop Centric Style Now Line
Bayshore/Woodroffe
7563

96

3
5m

5 15m

96 23m

Coming too Passed

Minutes in 5m markings
<- -5m --- +5m ->
Stop Centric Style Now Line
Bayshore/Woodroffe
Multi Route
7563
This puts all the routes
projected against “When they
will intersect your selected
stop”

Shows, who and what

historically and yet to come.

Bus spacing will be based on

“time away”

Requires route knowledge to

know why buses are farther
apart. Coming too Passed

Speed on X axis isn’t

constant. (highway, vs town)
if live data
Minutes in 5m markings
<- -5m --- +5m ->
Stop Centric Style
Bayshore/Woodroffe Bayshore/Woodroffe
7563 96 7563
Arrives in Arrives in

5 3 5

15 5 15
23 96 23
Cancelled 5 Cancelled

45 96 45

Stop Centric Single Route Stop Centric Multi Route

Bayshore/Woodroffe
7563 Stop Centric Single Route Small
Arrives in (Current Style)

96 5 15 23 Cancelled 45
Stop Centric Style

Bayshore/Woodroffe Bayshore/Woodroffe
7563 7563

3 5 96
96 Expected in 5m
5 15 23 Then: 20, 35, 50

avg 15 minute spacing

Last Bus 10 minutes ago

Alerts for 7563 96

This stop closed today from 2am-5am

Reports on 96 Line today

7am: Cancellation from X to Z
4pm: Cancellation from X to M
Interconnective

Bayshore/Woodroffe Bayshore/Woodroffe
7563 7573

96 Expected in 1m 96 Expected in 15m

Then: 15, 45, 60 Then: 45, 60, 1h15

avg 15 minute spacing avg 15 minute spacing

Last Bus 14 minutes ago Last Bus 15 minutes ago

Alerts for 7563 96 Alerts for 7573 96

This stop closed today from 2am-5am This stop closed today from 2am-5am

Reports on 96 Line today Reports on 96 Line today

7am: Cancellation from X to Z 7am: Cancellation from X to Z
4pm: Cancellation from X to M 4pm: Cancellation from X to M
 0030
Example Track 0045
7573
0060
0115
7563 …
0015
Expected
0030
Times 0045
0115 7583
Second Lap …
0045
0100
0115
0130
…

7593
Lap point
0000
0015
0030
0100
…
Interconnective

Automated: Bus for #7533 Bayshore/Woodroffe (-2 stops,

Bayshore/Woodroffe 30min away) was late
7563
Automated: Bus for #7533 Bayshore/Woodroffe (-2 stops,
30min away) did not show at scheduled time
96 Expected in 1m
The 4pm at this stop for this route has been cancelled. Route 96
Then: 15, 45, 60
Trip 34 was cancelled at 6am affecting Bayshore/Woodroffe (-2
avg 15 minute spacing stops, 30min away) to Bayshore/Woodroffe Park (+2 stops,
30min away)
Last Bus 14 minutes ago

Alerts for 7563 96

Reports on 96 Line today

7am: Cancellation from X to Z
4pm: Cancellation from X to M
Key requirements
Bayshore/Woodroffe
7563
Identification
96
Most expected
information Expected in 1m

Information that 25m ago: Bus for #7533 Bayshore was missing
would affect trip Stop #7536 Bayshore Park is closed
Detour in affect for X to Y until 8pm Oct 10
Data sets