We noticed that when there are big events e.g. Marathon, RideLondon race etc, some bus routes are entirely closed for almost the entire day. However, they are marked as statusSeverityDescription: Special Service and then e.g. reason: RIDE LONDON ON SUNDAY 26 MAY 2024: Route 100: From 0430 until 1930, the route will not operate..
Why not use a statusSeverityDescription which more openly closes the route? There are 20 severity description in the Unified API… Is there a reason why we don’t use another one?
Re. the ‘statusSeverityDescription’ - we will need to get back to you on this [FYI @jamesevans], but believe this is used as the ‘default’, so when details about the disruption are entered into the system by bus staff and no other options have been selected.
With regards to "Bus Route Closures’ - it is rare that a bus route is fully closed for the day; these normally will be:
diverted from usual line of route (but with the same termini at either end of the route);
curtailed to only operate part of the route; or
in some rarer instances, operate at two separate sections.
These are handled in different ways depending on the nature of the closure:
If it is a planned closure for an event or short notice diversion; we will manually create a special timetable which is not uploaded into TxC due to how these are managed. In both instances the Live Information Desk at our bus control centre will look after the Real Time aspect of this with a block added to the normal version and the special timetable that has been created being live in the system. Once the event has finished or the diversion has been removed, the special timetable will be blocked and the normal version of the timetable will be unblocked.
Some major events (ie. Notting Hill Carnival); will have schedules including supplementary services which are provided by our Surface Transport team - these will be available in the UAPI go into TxC and will match what would be showing on Countdown.
For long-term closures (4 weeks and longer); these would be treated as a normal service change with the Surface Transport team providing a revised schedule, and these would again be available in the UAPI and TxC.
Do let us know if you have any further questions. on this.
Sarah