As of May 1 2008, Sofia’s Public Transport Company provides information about the time-table, routes and real-time positioning of its vehicles, a company statement said.

The service is in its experimental phase and is available in Bulgarian only.

The service, called Online GPS System – GPS Net, is available at the website of the company at http://www.skgt-bg.com.

The system provides several was to select a bus, tram or trolley line and a stop, after which it calculates when the next bus, tram or trolley is expected to arrive, based on current position and movement information from a GPS system.

The installation of a GPS system within the network of Sofia’s public transport started officially in 2004 when a centre for monitoring of the company’s vehicles was opened. Until now, it provided information only to the company and to the drivers. The system was designed and implemented by the Bulgarian company Musat.

After the completion of the centre, the second phase of the project was launched. This phase featured the installation of information signs on major bus stations such as Orlov Most and Pliska, which provide passengers with information on the estimated time of arrival of buses, trams and trolleys.

The year 2007 was originally set for the launch of third phase of the project, providing online information on where buses, trams and trolleys are in real time.