The "new" app is very buggy
I think you may have to be careful assuming what is an error in the App and what may be an issue with your download. I downloaded it this afternoon, whilst mobile, and had very different results.
* the realtime information isn't - it's just based on timetable information (in Stevenage anyway), not actually tracking the bus (despite claiming otherwise)
It was real time on the services I was using.
* If you click on the bus on the realtime map, it crashes the app.
I clicked on various buses on both my local service and the one I was on and the app worked well.
* "Service updates" just redirects you a web page where you have to find the Arriva Herts and Essex link. In this case, it doesn't even sort it by location, so presently it's a long list of Southend bus changes, followed by others - there's no indication which buses are in which town
There is a 'hyperlink' logo, so I'm not sure why you would expect anything else. The rest of the comment is fair, though... however, if you click on the service update from the specific service timetable, it does take you to the specific update.
* The "journey planner" only lists Arriva buses - of limited use for a multi-operator environment
It's the Arriva app. The Intalink App (in your case) would be for multi-operator planning. Whilst I can see the perspective that it's the bus network, this relies on other operator's data files being up to date - and do you also complain that it doesn't offer you train times, or that LNER's doesn't give you Uber? After all, they are also part of the public transport network...
* there's a bug in the timetable section that does not allow you to change direction, date, or stops served
I didn't experience this - multiple tests.
* Contact us redirects to the Arriva website
Again, there was a "hyperlink" logo, so not surprising.
As I confidently predicted, it's basically just a reskinning of the existing app. I struggle to understand why Arriva Herts and Essex felt it necessary to trumpet the arrival of the "new" app when it is essentially the same thing, and not very good at that either. I despair when people ask for Arriva to be given time to fix the bugs, they shouldn't've launched such a buggy app in the first place.
It very evidently isn't; and is very evidently from a completely separate provider. What does seem to have happened is that it has been worked from the old site data, for good or (mostly) ill.
Best off still using the (not perfect) bustimes.org website. At least I can see whether buses are cancelled there.
You can't. You can only see if the bus isn't tracking. Which means it might turn up anyway.
Had a look around the website last night and today and despite some out of date information (508 as some here already mentioned), I thought it was a clear improvement. Maps are easy to find, timetables and information is clear and easier to find. Timetables are not available in PDF but that is probably for the best!
The 508 is evidently an erroneous header from pre-existing data, likely carried over from the previous site.
I like the way Arriva presents its maps but they have limited use when they only show their own services, with no indication of other key routes. What good is any bus map in Hatfield without Uno's routes on it? Same in Southend or Colchester omitting First Essex's routes. They created good maps just to then only show half of the services! Interestingly, Luton's map shows all routes regardless of operator, how it should be.
This is the job of the local authority, not an operator. The Luton example has authority funding. As has been mentioned a thousand times before, most people make simple journeys from A to B with operator C.
For the data issues such as the timetables (and the many many missing stops on various routes), it won't make any difference who you contact, they just bury their heads in the sand. Via customer service, via BODS feedbacks (As it seems to be the same data in the website as what is sent to BODS), via the bus open data team themselves holding meetings with Arriva. Arriva just blank it and stick their fingers in their ears and don't fix anything. I guess that is deemed easier and less effort than actually fixing the issues.
Someone that I know got so fed up of using proper channels and getting nowhere that they started raising the issues directly with the commercial teams who are the ones creating the data in the first place, and they never fixing anything. So they went further and escalated it to the commercial directors for the areas who promised to get it fixed and never did, so they escalated it to area directors and they just passed it back to the commercial directors and again unresolved. I know that they sent in a list of over 100 errors with the Wales dataset of stops missing or wrong stops on almost every single route. Not a single one ever got fixed.
In short, Arriva are FULLY aware of their ongoing shoddy data, they make an active choice to ignore it because it's less effort for them. It's a systemic issue within the company by the looks of it, and so as much as I admire both of your optimism, experience from myself and others says that even when they are fully aware of the issues, and they are through to the correct people, nothing gets fixed sadly.
How long ago was this? Perhaps something that may change with the new management? Perhaps their complaint style led to it being ignored (vexatious complaining is very definitely "a thing")? Maybe the data is correct when they look, but is somehow being missed from an upload? For example, all services out of Maidstone depot are missing on the "Kent and Surrey" page... yet all show when you search for a timetable by number. The fact a whole depot is missing suggests a whole missing file, rather than a minor error. Developer says: we see file, we see no error. Nobody actually goes back and points out: but look HERE. The timetables are there, because otherwise you couldn't search for them. They are in BODS, because otherwise they wouldn't be on bustimes. It's just missing a "sanity check".
Incidentally, the 724 is also now showing as a through service on both the App and the website this afternoon, as well as the withdrawn 477 disappearing.
STOP PRESS: I looked back just before clicking post, and lo and behold, the vast majority of the services I reported this morning as being missing (the Maidstone services) are showing on the App and website now. Still missing the 4 school services from Gillingham, but they are arguably less important in a school holiday week anyway. A hat to be eaten, perhaps?
STOP STOP PRESS : The 508/509/510 has disappeared from the dropdown, but appears in the timetable search, correctly headed as 509/509A/510/510A.
www.arrivabus.co.uk
