24 Mar 2025
Bringing Real-Time Bus Information to Millions
How Ito helped Arriva UK Bus become the first national operator to integrate real-time data into Google Maps.
Case Studies
Turning Data into Passenger Confidence
As one of the UK’s largest bus operators, Arriva UK Bus has long embraced the power of data to improve operations and customer experience.
After launching its customer-facing app, Arriva aimed to take things further:
Make real-time bus info publicly available
Boost trust in public transport
Increase ridership by improving journey predictability
To do this, they needed a reliable partner to integrate real-time data into Google Maps—used by millions of UK travellers daily.
Seamless Real-Time Integration with Google Maps
Ito’s transit data team worked closely with Arriva’s real-time specialists and Google to deliver :
Conversion of real-time bus data into Google-compatible formats
Full integration with Google’s public transport datasets
Fine-tuning to meet Google’s strict accuracy and reliability standards
Key Objectives:
Data updates every 30 seconds from 4,000+ buses
Accurate predictions in Google Maps journey planner
Custom algorithms to fix data anomalies automatically
A National First in Real-Time Passenger Info
First national UK bus operator to offer real-time data on Google Maps
Live updates from 4,000 vehicles, excluding London
Completed within a tight launch timeline for Google’s June 2015 rollout
At the outset, ourselves and our real-time supplier were concerned over the technical delivery challenges… ITO were very professional, quickly gained the confidence of our supplier, and were highly responsive. Their technical capabilities are clearly second to none and the delivery ran very smoothly.”
Mike Woodhouse
Senior Marketing Manager, Arriva UK Bus
More Reliable Journeys, Smarter Cities
With real-time bus info now part of Google Maps, Arriva made it easier for travellers to:
Trust public transport for day-to-day travel and holiday plans
Reduce stress with real-time arrival info
Choose buses over cars—helping reduce congestion and emissions
We were excited to bring real-time information to all of our Google Maps users… We believe this gives our users more options and saves them more time.”
David Tattersall
Maps Product Manager, Google
Want to power your real-time passenger data?
Ito helps transit providers and authorities unlock the full potential of their data—delivering
scalable, real-time mobility solutions for the world’s most trusted platforms.
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